Ghost of the Past
by EMPFangirl02
Summary: A Ninjago AU. It's another new year at Master Wu's School of Wizardry, but it's not starting off well. Master Wu is leaving the school and putting someone else in charge, something wrong with one of their friends, and since the Overlord's return, Ninjago is in utter chaos. Will the Ninja be able to overcome what lies ahead of them?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Goodbye**

**AN: I'm back with a new book! I hope you will enjoy this next series!**

* * *

I turned off the news, pretending that would make all my problems go away. Dark wizards have been popping up left and right, and even the normal people had started noticing. I mean, when your whole plot of land gets sucked into the sky, and snakes flood the city, and time itself starts freezing and speeding up and everything in between, it's not hard to notice something's wrong.

I sighed. Ever since the Overlord came back, things have been going haywire. I couldn't wait to go back to school. Last year, Wu told us to wait over break while he and Garmadon researched a way to take down the Overlord. But I was tired of waiting. I wanted action.

"Kai, you can't go out there!" Nya said for fifth time. "It's too dangerous."

"It's better than sitting here," I bit back. I had spent the whole break holed up in this house and I was sick of it. April couldn't come soon enough for me.

"But you could be hurt or… killed!"

"We'll have to leave when we go to school," I said. "Why can't we just leave now?"

"Because you can't!" Nya snapped. "Believe me, I'm tired of this too, but we have to wait for a little while longer. I'm not going to lose you."

I sighed, but I did what she said. I remembered the last time my sister thought I was dead; I didn't want to do that her again. I lay in my bed and twiddled with my wand, and sighed. I couldn't even practice magic, because the ministry banned underage magic outside of school. There was nothing to do but sit and wait and watch the news. I wish this nightmare would end.

* * *

One agonizing week later, I was stuffing the last bit of clothes and books in my suitcase. I took the steps two at a time and joined Nya at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm off," I called.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Karin called back. "I've heard Ninjago City's pretty dangerous right now."

I grimaced. Carl must have told her about the news. But what they didn't know is that Wu's school was one the safest places for us to be.

"I'm sure," I called. "Bye."

Fortunately, Karin was kind enough to let us go, and Nya and I jogged out of the city. It wasn't safe to take our time anymore. Just to our right, cracks split the ground and another piece of Ninjago floated up to the sky to disappear behind the clouds. I craned my neck. I wondered where all those pieces were going.

"Kai look out!" Nya screamed.

I glanced at my sister. Her eyes were fixed on something behind me. I spun around, only to come face to face with a green serpentine. He hissed and spat in my face. I blinked and the world shifted and swirled till I thought I was going to be sick. A gingerbread man loomed over me, and an elf joined him, and another and another. They snarled and came closer and closer.

"There's too many of them! I've never fought little people before!"

"Kai?" Nya called. I couldn't see my sister anywhere. The buildings swayed, and the ground shook under me. Bile rose in my throat and I stumbled back. Nya grabbed my arm and took off. I nearly tripped and fell on my face, but I kicked and pushed myself back up.

Finally we stopped moving and I sat, but more like fell down in the rice field. The world was still spinning, and the sky swirled in lazy patterns.

"Look, at the clouds, Nya," I said. "They're like pinwheels."

I watched as cloud folded in on itself in a swirly haze. It was nice and relaxing. I forgot all about the Overlord and city. I could just sit and watch the sky forever; it was so pretty.

"O-kay, big brother," Nya replied. "Come on, we're almost there."

But I didn't want to move. I was fine right here. Nya pulled on my arm.

"Come on. We have to get to school, remember?"

Right. I pushed, and Nya pulled and eventually I got myself into a standing position. It was hard with the ground being all wobbly, but somehow we managed. Nya broke into a jog again and I let her lead me as we made our way across the countryside. Finally, we stopped at the base of the Mountain, where Nya paused to grab her breath, and say hello to everyone.

"How was your trip?" Jay asked. "I nearly got run over on my way here."

"Terrible. The world started spinning, and then gingerbread men and creepy little elves attacked us," I complained.

Everyone just stared. "Say what now?" Cole asked.

"A serpentine got Kai," Nya said, "and he's been acting like this ever since." She glared at me.

But it was real. I swear it was. Or maybe not. It seemed real to me…but I do remember the serpentine spitting in my face. I don't know. Before long, we were on the move again. I tried to walk forward, but I stumbled left and bumped into Zane.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Nya grabbed my arm again. Her nails dug into my skin, and I could almost swear I could see bruises welling up under her fingers. She marched briskly up the stairs, and it was hard to keep up. My foot caught one of the steps, and I hit my head on the stone, but Nya hardly slowed down. I guess she was upset at me for some reason, but I didn't do anything.

We got to the front of the line, right as we made it to the school, and my sister headed straight for Mistaké. She tapped the old professor on the shoulder.

"Can you help me? My brother got hit with some serpentine venom."

I glanced around the Dining Hall. It was good to be back. Although, it looked a little different then I remembered, more hazy, like the room was filled with greenish smoke, and the professors looked strange too. Especially Master Wu.

"His beard is moving," I whispered. "Like it's got a mind of its own."

"It's getting _really_ annoying," my sister added.

"Venomari venom," Mistaké diagnosed. "Come with me to the infirmary. I'll see what I can do."

I followed Nya into the infirmary and looked around. There were a lot of students already here with all kinds of injuries.

"So many were attacked by the Overlord's minions on the way here," Mistaké explained sadly.

I felt terrible. I mean, I wasn't even that badly injured.

"Wait here, I'll brew some tea of clarity," Mistaké instructed.

Since there was no cot available, I stood. The ground rolled and I nearly leaned on my sister, until I saw the look on her face. I swayed and tried to keep my balance on my own.

A few minutes later, the professor came back with a steaming cup of tea in her hand. It smelled terrible.

"Do I have to drink this?"

"Yes," Nya answered before Mistaké could answer. "Every last drop."

I sighed. I didn't think I was that bad, but okay. I took a sip. It tasted like earth and grass, and I gagged and sputtered into the cup.

"Drink. It'll help you feel better," Mistaké encouraged.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to swallow. Finally, the cup was drained, and Mistaké was right. The room slowed and finally stopped spinning. I didn't feel like I was going to fall over anymore, my head cleared, and the green blur was gone.

"You good now?" Nya asked, and I nodded.

"Thanks," I told the professor.

"You're welcome," she replied. "I only wish all my patients could be cured that easily."

She looked at all the patients lying around the room, one writhed on the bed, his skin turning to green scales, and another was growing younger by the second, regressing back to a ten-year-old and still going. All of them were suffering, and all of it was the Overlord's fault.

I grit my teeth and worked my way back to the Dining Hall with Nya. When I got the chance, I was going to punch the Overlord so hard for hurting all those people. My sister was quiet the whole way back, but I could tell she was upset too.

Nya went to her house table and I went to mine. I looked around for Lloyd, but I didn't see him anywhere. He usually sat with the Fire House, so he should be around here somewhere…unless he still hadn't recovered from when the Overlord had taken his powers. But it'd been almost six months since the Tri-wizard Tournament. He should be better by now, shouldn't he?

I took an open seat and fiddled my chopsticks. I glanced up at the table. Garmadon was there and so was Wu, which meant that Lloyd had to be around here somewhere. I glanced up and down the table, when I caught a peak of my friend's blond hair. Oh good. Lloyd was here; he must have just been out of sight before. I got up and sat down next to him.

"Hey, Lloyd," I said.

"Hey, Kai," Lloyd replied.

"How are you?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he said. "It's been a long break." He stuffed a dumpling in his mouth and chewed slowly. I frowned. I really wanted to know how he was doing after being attacked by the Overlord.

"Are your powers back?" I probed.

Lloyd glared at me. "Wu and Garmadon drilled me all break long, but no. My powers aren't back yet. Wu gave me some of his energy, but even that wasn't enough."

"I'm sorry." What else was I going to say?

"Whatever," Lloyd muttered, and he went back to his dumplings.

That didn't seem like the friend I knew six months ago. I get that being attacked by the Overlord could change a person, but Lloyd seemed down right cold and rude.

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"I said no."

"But—"

"Oh look," Lloyd interrupted suddenly. "Uncle Wu is giving a speech."

"Welcome back, everyone," Wu began.

I opened my mouth to continue arguing, but Lloyd was staring up at the front, totally absorbed in the old professor. I gritted my teeth. He was ignoring me on purpose. There was definitely something off with him, but I couldn't press him on it, so I turned around and listen to Wu had to say.

"As you know, Ninjago City is under attack from dark wizards," Wu was saying. "It is my duty to protect the citizens, so I will be away for this year to deal with this threat to our safety. Meanwhile, my brother will be in charge." Garmadon gave a wide toothy grin at this.

Murmurs broke out across the hall.

"Wu's leaving?"

"And a former dark wizard is in charge of the whole school?"

"Why can't someone else take care of it?"

I agreed with the others. Why is Wu going off by himself? I thought we were all taking care of this together, because the dark wizards were too powerful to take on alone. It didn't make sense.

"I will be leaving tonight," Wu announced. "Goodbye, everyone."

As he finished speaking, the old professor began to glow. Golden light enveloped him, until he disappeared in a flash.

* * *

**AN: Things look grim, don't they? If you could, let me know what you think so far! Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2-Enter Master Chen

**Chapter 2: Master Chen of Mr. Chen's Noodle House**

* * *

I walked into my Elemental Magic class and waited for the new professor. Now that Wu was gone, a different teacher came each time to try and fill the old sensei's shoes. But no one could. Garmadon, Mistaké, Nuero, Hutchins, Borg, and Yang had all failed. A rumor was going around that someone from the ministry was going to take over the post after the Yang Incident. I wasn't in that class, but Cole said he was lucky not to come out as a ghost himself.

I tapped my fingers and waited. Then, the door burst open, and man in a weird snake head hat/hood/thing with a black cape and red outfit waltzed in.

"Rise students! Direct your attention to me, and we will begin class."

This is the man the ministry sent? "Who are you?" I asked.

He glanced at me in horror. "You don't recognize me? I'm Master Chen, owner of Mr. Chen's Noodle House."

Oh yeah. Cole's told me about that place, but I've never actually eaten there. The fact that it shared a name with Chen the bully put me off. Plus, it was on the other side of Ninjago.

"So why are you teaching us?" I asked.

"I also work in the ministry," Chen explained. "And we've noticed your school is without a master."

"Isn't Garmadon—"

"So I'm here to take charge!" Chen interrupted. "Now, who's ready to do some magic?"

The students jumped at the chance to learn new spells. We hadn't done anything in class for weeks. But I wasn't as eager. There was something off about Chen, and it wasn't just his funky outfit.

"To strengthen your elemental powers, you will spar against each other. Your goal will be to knock your opponent to the ground and keep him there for ten seconds." He then pulled out his wand and, in a flourish, made a tournament style bracket with pictures of all the students on it. I blinked. How did Chen know who we all were? This was his first time here, wasn't it?

"Isn't that dangerous?" Sarah, a water girl, asked.

"Oh no," Master Chen replied, "This school has one of the finest infirmaries in Ninjago. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Instead, you should be concerned about winning your match. Winners get to move on, losers are eliminated," he said knocking one of the pictures from the bracket for dramatic effect. "The ultimate winner will receive 500 galleons, and the glory of being the best fighter in this class, plus a free cup of noodles, of course," he added.

This man is crazy. Absolutely crazy. But I kind of wanted to win, and I definitely didn't want to know what happened if I lost.

"Are you ready?" Master Chen shouted.

A bunch of students cheered.

"Find your opponent…and remember...only one can remain."

I glanced up at the board. It looked like I was fighting…Chen? It was almost too good to be a coincidence.

I glanced around, when Chen finally reared his ugly face. "You ready loser?" he sneered.

I balled my fists and summoned a burst of fire. "I beat you before, and I'll do it again," I replied. Last time, Lloyd was at stake, but that didn't mean I couldn't beat him here and now. But I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I was playing right into Master Chen's hands.

The other Chen's eyes burned. He summoned flames of his own, and glared at me as if he could combust me right then and there.

"Begin!" Master Chen shouted.

Chen yelled and through a fireball at me. I blocked with a wall of flame, then countered with a flaming fist. Chen ducked, and swiped his leg to try and knock me off my feet. I saw it coming and jumped, but Chen was ready.

His fist was flying, flames crackling, and I was in mid-air. So, I punched back at the same time as hard as I could. I shot off several fire balls and hoped Chen would pull back.

He didn't. Even when his jaw crunched under my fist, he kept coming. Pain erupted on the side of my face. My cheek burned and the smoke stung my eyes, but I didn't fall. I stumbled back and clutched my face.

The skin was raw and my hand felt like ice. I was in so much pain, but I wasn't going to give up. I had beat Chen before, I told myself. I could do it again. I charged with all my might, ignoring the pain and deflecting the bully's attacks with my own fire, and bowled right into him. He stumbled, and I punched before he could recover. I pushed and knocked him to the ground. He didn't get up.

Then, over my panting, I heard a slow clap. I glanced around. Master Chen grinned and walked over to me. "Winner!" he announced. Then he glared down at the other Chen. "Loser!" Then he bent down and whispered to the bully. "Get out of my classroom."

Chen grimaced, and tried to force himself to his feet while everyone stared. I almost felt sorry for him. I hit him really hard, too hard, but I still couldn't bring myself to help him as he dragged himself out of the room. He'd go to the infirmary and be fine, I told myself.

"Well, go on everyone," Master Chen encouraged. "Fight to win!"

The classmates stared at each other with new determination. None of them wanted to end up humiliated and broken like Chen. It turned out that I was the first one to finish. So I sat in the corner and watched my classmates tear each other apart. I hoped there would be another teacher tomorrow. This was chaos.

* * *

I sat down at the dining table, sad and alone. Chen's spot was still empty. Despite everything, I still hoped he was okay. I sighed and pushed away my plate. I wasn't very hungry anyways.

"What's gotten into you?" Lloyd asked. The past week he'd been a bit friendlier, as long as I didn't talk to him about his powers.

"It's the new elemental magic teacher. He's crazy. He made us spar against each other in class, and I think I really hurt my opponent."

"I see," Lloyd replied. I wished he'd said something more encouraging.

"Did you have him in your class?"

Lloyd glared at his plate. "I haven't been taking elemental magic."

Oh. Did that mean Lloyd hadn't gotten his powers back yet? I wanted to ask him, but I knew I would only upset him more so I kept quiet. I glanced up at the high table where the teachers sat, only a few feet away. Master Chen was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if they had fired him already.

Garmadon stood up. The former warlord's red eyes flared. Something was wrong; he seemed really upset.

"There's been an influx in the infirmary, due to a certain _professor_. Mistaké has had too many patients to deal with. But don't worry, the problem will be dealt with." He flexed his four fists, as if he was going to crush whatever was responsible.

The students murmured to each other. I breathed a sigh of relief. Master Chen was going to be removed and I would never have to worry about him again.

"Not so fast!" a voice called. I turned. Master Chen marched up the back of the hall, his cape billowing, with a nasty looking man at his side. Also, I could hear something. Was that…dramatic music?

"By order of the ministry, I'm taking Wu's place, Garmadon," Master Chen announced.

"And that includes the Headmaster's duties," the dark man at Chen's side added. Whispers broke out across the hall. The crazy teacher was going to take over the school? No way. This couldn't be happening.

Garmadon snapped, "Wu appointed me as Headmaster. You have no business here."

Master Chen just laughed. "I think you forget your place."

The dark man spoke up. "Here is the order, signed by the Minister himself. I think you'll find everything check's out."

He pulled out a document, and Garmadon practically snatched it out of the man's hands. His red eyes scanned the paper, growing darker and narrower as he did so. This wasn't good.

"This is outrageous," the warlord growled. "I won't allow it."

"So you go against the ministry?" Master Chen asked. He almost sounded eager. The hall broke out into whispers.

"I wouldn't advise that if I were you," the dark man said.

"I didn't ask you, Clouse," Garmadon snapped at him. Then he glared back at Master Chen. "I won't let you take control of this school."

"Or what?" Chen asked. "You're good now, remember?"

Garmadon bristled. His lower hand hovered by his wand, ready to take action. "Watch me," he replied, and whipped out his wand and pointed it in Master Chen's face.

Everyone gasped. Some of the other teachers jumped up and grabbed him. Each one took an arm and had to practically drag the former warlord back before he did anything crazy.

"Garmadon, you can't!" Nuero exclaimed. "He'll send you to Azkaban!"

"Yes," Clouse said, "And we might even be able to arrange a Dementor's Kiss for your crimes as a Dark Wizard."

More whispers from the students. I had never heard of Azkaban before, but two years ago I had to rescue Garmadon from a Dementor's Kiss. This was serious. The hall eventually hushed, all eyes on Garmadon. The warlord frowned and his eyes shot daggers at Chen, but he slowly relaxed, and the other teachers let him put his wand away. He sighed, and then glared at Chen one last time.

"Fine," he muttered, "but don't think this is over."

The other teachers let go of Garmadon and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"That was overdramatic," Lloyd muttered.

What was his problem? I thought he and his father were on better terms now.

"Would you want some weird man taking over your school?" I asked him, but Lloyd just shrugged.

Meanwhile Master Chen clapped his hands. "Excellent!" He exclaimed. "Now," he began, immediately taking over Garmadon's podium, "We're going to have to make quite a few changes around here. Starting…"

He grabbed his wand and flourished around the room, as if making up his mind. The whole room held its breath. "…with you." The wand came to rest on Garmadon.

The warlord started. "What?"

"Unfortunately, you have shown characteristics of going back to your old dark ways, so we can't have you as a teacher anymore."

I gasped. Garmadon balled his fists and started forward again, only to stop, realizing he would just prove Master Chen's point.

"How dare you!" he growled instead.

"But I'm not an entirely cruel man," Chen replied, a grin spreading across his face. "You were a former pupil of mine, so you can remain here at this school," he paused. "As a janitor." Chen laughed and Garmadon glowered.

Whispers broke out again. The mighty warlord was being reduced to a janitor? Who was going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? Most of the other students looked sympathetic, but Lloyd just sat there, eating his fish. Something was definitely wrong with him. Shouldn't he show some feeling for his father?

I glanced up at Garmadon. He looked like he was going to explode, but Chen wasn't done yet. "Clouse," he said, and the dark man stepped forward. He took Garmadon's wand, and conjured a mop for him instead.

"We can't have you practicing dark magic, can we?" Master Chen said, his eyes gleaming.

Garmadon growled, but he couldn't do anything. Nobody could. Master Chen turned back to the students.

"Now that's out the way, on to more important matters…"

* * *

**AN: Oh no! Things are looking bad, aren't they? Thanks again to all those who have reviewed, read and favorited! I appreciate your support! Until next time!**


	3. Who are you and where is Lloyd?

**Chapter 3: Who are you and what have you done with Lloyd?**

* * *

Only a week had gone by and the school had been completely transformed. There were trapdoors everywhere, which Chen loved to use whenever someone got on his bad side. I wondered where they led, and little did I realize, I would find out soon. The food in the dining hall had been converted to only serve Mr. Chen's Noodle House, the decorations had changed, the dorms had been converted to look more like their elements, and Clouse had taken over Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was the worst.

"He made us curse another student," I told the others at lunch. "And when I refused, a trapdoor opened up and I got sentenced to detention with Master Chen."

"Yikes," Cole said.

"Clouse doesn't teach us anything in our class," Nya said. "He just made us read about dark magic the whole time."

"He's the worst!" Jay complained. "He gave me a detention because he said I was 'annoying'. Can you guys believe it?"

Lloyd glanced at him for a moment. "Yes."

"Hey!" Jay snapped.

"Honestly, I think you guys are overreacting."

"Incorrect. Clouse is a terrible professor," Zane answered.

Lloyd folded his arms. "He was fine in my class."

"That's your class," Cole snapped.

"Lloyd, you've been acting kind of strange lately. Is everything alright?" Nya asked.

"I'm fine, guys. Just leave me alone."

"He's been like this all summer," a low voice murmured.

I spun around and Garmadon was standing behind me.

"You scared me," I said.

"Yeah, Garmadon," Lloyd sneered. "Don't you have some cleaning to do or something?"

The warlord glared. "For your information, I'm sweeping the library."

I noticed he had a tight grip on his broom. It was a miracle the thing didn't break.

"Well, can you do it someplace else?" Lloyd asked.

"Lloyd, you don't have to be so mean," Nya hissed at him, then she glanced up at Garmadon. "You can stay if you want to."

The former professor grinned, dropped his broom with a thump, and proceeded to sit in our little circle. "Don't mind if I do," he said.

Lloyd huffed.

I glanced at the third year. He wasn't acting like himself at all. "So what were you saying about Lloyd?" I whispered to Garmadon.

"Ever since he was captured, L-loyd's been moody and angry all the time," he replied, not bothering to keep his voice down.

I winced. Lloyd was glowering at his father, but Garmadon either didn't notice or he didn't care. "Not even Koks could cheer him up."

"Koks?" Cole asked with a snigger.

"L-loyd's mom. I went looking for her awhile back, but with the Tri-wizard Tournament, L-loyd hadn't met her yet."

"Why?" Jay asked.

"She abandoned me, that's why," Lloyd snapped.

"She didn't abandon you," Garmadon tried to explain, "She left you with Wu. There's a big difference—"

"And I'd appreciate it if we talked about something else," Lloyd interrupted. Our circle fell quiet. It sounded like they'd had this conversation before.

"Zane, did you get the assignment for DADA?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I got stuck in a trapdoor after Clouse gave me that detention," Jay jumped in.

The android lifted his head from his book. "Read chapters three through four by tomorrow."

Jay started complaining and I tuned him out. Instead, I leaned over to Garmadon. "Can we talk some other time about Lloyd?"

He opened his mouth, but I cut him off. "In private?"

Garmadon took the hint and stayed quiet. The bell rang and we all left for our classes, leaving the warlord alone to sweep the library by himself.

* * *

After class, I started looking for the warlord again. I checked the library, just in case, but I guess he had long since finished sweeping and dusting the shelves. All I found was Zane, who told me to check the shack on the grounds. He said it was the traditional home of the menial laborers, according to some book or another that he'd read.

I didn't even know we had a shack at the school. It wasn't in any courtyard I had ever been in, and it wasn't visible from the entrance, so that left behind the school near the edge of the cliff. I looked outside, but all I could see was a small shack on the very edge of the mountain. That couldn't be it, right?

I walked closer. The place was practically falling apart. The roof was sagging in the middle, the walls were rotting, and the one window was broken. I couldn't imagine anyone living here. I knocked on the door and it swung open with a horrible creak.

"Who's there?" A gruff voice asked.

"Garmadon? It's me, Kai. You said we could talk later?" I called.

Something stirred in the back, but it was so dark I could hardly see anything. Finally, Garmadon came to the front.

"Come on in," he said. I walked further into the hut, but I tripped over a chair leg.

"Sorry," Garmadon said. "This place is a mess." He snapped his fingers and summoned a small flame that danced across his fingers and lit some candles.

"I didn't know you were in the Fire House," I said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Garmadon answered.

"Yeah." What else was I going to say? The warlord and I didn't have much in common.

Finally, after a long, awkward silence, I finally spoke up. "So, you were saying Lloyd was acting strange this summer?"

Garmadon nodded. "L-loyd was grouchy, didn't want anything to do with me, or Koko for that matter."

"You sure it wasn't just that he was uncomfortable around you?" I asked, trying to get my facts straight.

"No," Garmadon said. "At the end of the Tri-wizard tournament we were getting along just fine."

"Do you think it has something to do with him getting kidnapped by the Overlord?"

The warlord sighed and dropped his gaze to the flickering candle on the table. "Probably, but to be honest, L-loyd hasn't said a word about what happened during the third task."

I nodded and stood up. The shack was drafty and I didn't want to stay longer than I had to. "Thanks for you time, but I should be going now."

"Sure," Garmadon said. "Say hi to L-loyd for me."

I left his hut as quick as I could and ran back into the school. I needed to talk to Lloyd. I don't know how, but I needed him to tell me what happened with the Overlord. Something was wrong with my friend, and I was going to help him. I sprinted up the Fire Dorm stairs two at a time, slowing only as I was approaching Lloyd's landing.

"Lloyd!" I called. I poked my head in the dorm room. "Lloyd?" I called again, "Lloyd!"

My friend's head popped from out from under the covers. "Kai, be quiet!" he snapped at me. "What are you doing here anyways? Can't you see I'm trying to rest?"

Man, Lloyd was prickly. All the more reason to get to the bottom of this. "Look, I just want to talk," I said.

His eyes narrowed and grew almost pitch black. "About what?"

I swallowed. "You've been acting strange."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, ever since the third task, you've been distant and moody. I'm worried about you."

"So?"

I curled my fists and took a deep breath. Why was Lloyd always being so difficult? First it was his father and now this. It was really grating on my nerves.

"So, did something happen when the Overlord kidnapped you? Something you're not telling everyone?"

Lloyd glared. "I'm feeling tired," he replied flatly. "Goodnight, Kai."

Well, that was a lie. It wasn't even dinnertime yet. "Don't ignore me! Answer my question!" I demanded.

Lloyd slunk back under the covers and deliberately turned his back toward me. I waited a minute, but he stayed silent.

"What's wrong with you?!" I snapped. He still didn't answer.

"Fine!" I yelled and stomped down the stairs. I went to the commons to grab some food. I snapped my chopsticks apart, stabbed my fish, and shoved it my mouth. I couldn't believe Lloyd. All I ever wanted to do was help, and how did he thank me? By pushing me and everyone else away.

"What'd that fish ever do to you?" I glanced up at Cole who was staring wide-eyed at my plate. I looked back at my fish Oh. I got so angry, flames burned the poor thing to a charred crisp.

I sighed. "I tried to talking to Lloyd," I said.

Cole nodded. "Oh." Then, after stuffing a slice of cake in his mouth, he added, "He's been a real pain lately."

"Garmadon thinks it has something to do with the third task at the tournament."

Cole grabbed another piece and chewed thoughtfully. "That makes sense."

I sighed again. "The problem is Lloyd won't talk about it."

Cole swallowed and stood up. "Then we'll just have to make him."

* * *

**AN: Do you think they can get Lloyd to talk? Or will they just make things worse? Find out next time! Thanks for all the support and reviews!**


	4. Chapter Interrogation

**Chapter 4: Interrogation**

**AN: I posting early due to spring break-enjoy! I'll go back to posting on Friday's after this. I don't own Ninjago!**

* * *

Cole and I left the dining hall so we could find the others. I couldn't wait till lunch because Lloyd would be there, and I didn't want him finding out about our plans. After an hour of searching, I decided to send an owl to everyone instead.

It was almost dark by the time we all got together in the courtyard. It was chilly, but private.

"So why are we all here again?" Jay asked.

"Didn't you read the letter?" Cole replied.

"Of course! But it was really vague!"

"Hey! I wrote that myself! It's called poetry, Jay."

"You know what, Cole? Your poetry stinks!"

"I worked hard on that!"

"Boys!" Nya exclaimed at last.

When they settled down, I told them about Lloyd and our plan to find out what was going on with him.

"I don't think interrogating our friend is a good idea," Nya said when I finished.

"Well, how else do we get him to tell us what's going on?" I demanded.

"We could use magic," Zane suggested. "The Confundus Charm would work, or the Imperious Curse. There is also a tea of truth, but that would require stealing from Mistake's store room."

"Those are all illegal!" Jay said.

Zane just shrugged.

"So, verbal interrogation is the best we got," I said.

"I don't know," Nya said. "If Lloyd wanted to tell us, he would. I don't think forcing him to talk is a good idea."

"We've tried waiting and it hasn't worked," I said. "And there's obviously something wrong with him. So we have to know. It's for his own good."

Nya snapped, "Fine! Do you what you want, but I'm not going to make our friend talk for the 'greater good'."

"Then what do you suggest?" Jay asked to try and pacify my sister.

"I don't know, _ask him_?" She suggested.

"Fine, we'll ask Lloyd first, but if he doesn't answer, we'll interrogate him," I summed up. "You in?"

One by one everyone nodded. Nya glared at me, and I almost thought she wasn't going to come, but then she sighed.

"Alright. Someone has to keep you boys out of trouble." So it was agreed.

* * *

That day at lunch, we invited Lloyd to a private study session in the back courtyard.

"Isn't that courtyard really crummy?" Lloyd sniffed. "I don't think anyone's maintained that place in years."

"Yeah, but with all of Master Chen's new curfew and free time restrictions all the other ones will be really crowded," Cole explained. "But in the back, no one will bother us."

Everyone nodded, but Lloyd didn't look convinced.

"It can't be that bad," I said.

"And we can always use magic to clean up the worst of it," Nya added.

Lloyd sighed. "Fine."

"Meet us an hour after classes," I said.

"Why an hour?" He asked.

"Cause, we need to do, um, things," Jay trailed off, fingering his scarf.

"Okay," Lloyd said slowly, but thankfully he didn't keep pushing.

Yes! Stage one complete. After classes, we rushed to the courtyard to prepare for Lloyd. Zane locked all the doors leading back to the school, except the one we came in. Nya cleaned the benches, because it turned out Lloyd was right. Nobody had been out here for years, except the birds, mice and who knows else. Jay was helping her, of course, and I glanced over at Cole who was pulling out an overhead light and rope.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"In case he doesn't cooperate," Cole explained. "I've watched a lot of cop shows, and trust me, we'll need this."

Okay…Really all we needed was magic, but oh well. Before we knew it an hour had passed, and Lloyd had arrived.

"What's up guys?" He asked, glancing at all of us.

I hoped we didn't look too suspicious.

"Not much, just ready to study," Nya said awkwardly.

"Right," Lloyd said. While he sat down, I nodded at Zane, who locked the door behind him. After a few minutes of 'studying', I couldn't take it anymore. I had to know what was going on.

"So, Lloyd," I said, not wanting to scare him off, "How are you feeling?"

Everyone glanced up. Stage 2 was a go.

"Same as always," Lloyd replied. "Why?"

"We've been worried about you," Jay said.

"Yeah, you've been acting strange for a while now," Cole added.

Lloyd frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ever since the school year started, you haven't been acting like yourself," Nya explained.

Lloyd slammed the book shut. "A lot's been going on, okay? Now if you'll excuse me—"

"Oh no, you don't," I said. "You're not going anywhere till we get some answers."

The third year laughed. "Ha ha. Very funny guys." He tried to slide off the bench, but I grabbed his arm.

"I'm serious, Lloyd. We need to talk."

"Kai, let go of me," Lloyd demanded.

"Not unless you start talking," I insisted.

"Let go!"

"We're worried about you!" Jay said.

Cole jumped in. "This is for your own good!"

Lloyd kept struggling, but I just tightened my grip. I needed to know what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd," I whispered.

His eyes widened. For a moment, I could believe he was my young, innocent friend again. Then his gaze hardened. "I'll never talk!" he yelled. "Just leave me alone!"

Lloyd jerked his arm away and sprinted toward the door. He pulled on the handle but it wouldn't budge. "What the?" he asked. Then he started banging wildly on the door. "Let me out!" He screamed. "Somebody help!"

I glanced at the others. Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way. I nodded at Zane, who glided toward Lloyd.

He whispered, "Stupefy," and the third year went out cold.

I caught him before he crumpled to the floor.

"He will awake in an hour," Zane informed me.

"Chen's curfew will be over then," Jay said. "I'll get another detention!"

That reminded me of my own detention at six. I needed to hurry. "It's okay," I said. "I know a place we can go."

I lifted Lloyd onto my shoulders and led my friends to Garmadon's hut. It was a bit small for all of us, but Chen would never find us out here. I pushed open the door slowly.

"Garmadon?" I called.

"What do you want?" he answered.

"Can we stay here for a bit?" I asked.

"I guess."

I lit a candle and laid Lloyd down on the table. Cole pulled out his rope and tied him up. I took a few steps back. Now all we had to do was wait.

"What are you doing to my son?"

I turned around to find myself face to face with the warlord, eyes blazing.

"W-we were trying to get information out of him," I stammered. "We weren't going to hurt him, but he won't say anything, so I thought…" I trailed off. There was no real excuse I could make. Nya shot me an I-told-you-so look.

Garmadon just sighed. "Kids," he muttered. Then, he shoved past me and untied Lloyd. "If you want to find out what happened to my son, there are better ways then taking him prisoner."

"So you'll help us?" Jay asked hopefully.

The warlord snorted. "Of course. I want to know what happened to L-loyd as much as you do. But this time, we'll do it my way."

I wasn't sure that Garmadon's way would be any better than mine, but I wasn't going to say so. At this point, we could use all the help we could get. Garmadon grabbed a bucket of water from the back of his hut.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Waking him up," he replied. He tipped the bucket and splashed Lloyd in the face.

Immediately, Lloyd's body shook and green smoke rose from his skin. He groaned and his head rolled. The smoke grew thicker and thicker and my heart pounded harder and harder.

"He's dying!" Jay screamed.

Garmadon sprinted to grab a towel, but Nya just used her powers to stream the water back into the bucket. The smoke settled and Lloyd went still.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

Garmadon frowned. "For now, but we have a much bigger problem than I thought."

"What do you mean?" Cole asked.

"L-loyd's been possessed by a ghost."

* * *

**AN: Things just went from bad to worse...but it's not over yet. Tune in next week. Thanks for all the support!**


	5. Chapter 5-Detention

Chapter 5: Detention

* * *

My mind reeled, and I stared at the warlord. "What?" I said.

"L-loyd's been possessed by a ghost," Garmadon repeated.

"A ghost? Like Professor Yang?" Nya asked.

Garmadon sighed. "Yes, but this ghost is much worse."

"How was Lloyd possessed?" Zane asked.

Garmadon shook his head. "I don't know. This ghost doesn't want to share any information with us. I'd have to search L-loyd's memories."

"Can you do that?" Jay asked.

"Will it hurt?" I added.

"Yes, I can, and L-loyd will feel me enter his mind, but I won't hurt him," the warlord replied.

I nodded. "Alright. Let's do it."

"But Chen stole my wand," Garmadon growled. "We'll have to get it back before I can do anything."

"Well then, let's break into his office and get your wand back," I said impatiently.

"Wait, Kai," Nya said. "What about your detention? Isn't Clouse waiting for you?"

I was so concerned about Lloyd that I completely forgot. "What time is it?"

"5:47. Your detention starts in thirteen minutes," Zane replied.

Yikes. "Wait for me, I'll be right back!" I turned and ran out the door before they could respond. The Defense Against the Dark Arts office was on the opposite end of the school and I didn't want to be late. No reason to make the professor angrier.

I rushed into the school and ran right through Professor Yang. I shivered, but didn't stop. Time was ticking. I sprinted through the Great Hall. Three more corridors to go, and I was home free. I glanced up at the giant clock. 5:55. I took a deep breath and sprinted as hard as I could.

Right, left, almost there. My heart pounded, my legs burned, and I was still a few yards away. I made a hard right and yanked the door open. Clouse looked up from his desk. He glanced at the clock than back at me. Clouse glowered, and I swallowed. Did I make it?

"You're late, Mr. Umas," he said. "Now, you'll have to write 200 lines."

I gaped, and looked at the clock. I couldn't have been that late could I? No way. It was only 6:01. I was one minute off. One minute. "Sir, you can't be serious," I protested.

"I told you to be in my office at 6:00. Therefore, you're late." He turned back to his desk and pulled out parchment and… a quill?

"Sir, I sprinted all the way over here. I'm sorry, but it's just one minute."

Clouse snapped the desk closed. "You're in enough trouble as it is, don't you think?" he said. "I can always make your punishment much worse."

I clenched my fists, but I couldn't waste time here. I needed to figure out how to get Garmadon's wand so we could help Lloyd. I took a deep breath. "Fine," I muttered.

"Excellent. Now have a seat."

I sat at his desk and shifted in my seat. This was the most uncomfortable chair I have ever sat in. I bet he got it for me on purpose. I growled but took the quill from him without complaint. Normally, I just used a pen to do my homework, but this must be part of the punishment. I looked around, but I didn't see any ink. That _is_ how a quill worked, right?

"Write: I will do as I am told." Clouse commanded.

"But—"

"Now."

I sighed, and began to scratch the words on to the parchment. My hand flared, and the words appeared in shining red ink. I stared at my hand. The phrase had appeared on the back of my hand, but soon the skin healed and the words vanished.

"Keep going," Clouse said.

_I have to get out of here to help Lloyd, _I told myself. I began writing again. "Ah!" I gasped. The pain was back, and so were the words. I glanced back at the red 'ink'. "This is…"

Clouse smirked. "Your blood. Keep writing."

I glared at him. The professor was enjoying this. Well, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of complaining. I was going to finish this and get out of here. I wrote line after line, and the pain got worse and worse. I almost dropped the quill, but I grit my teeth and kept writing. When I was done, 'I will do as I am told' was etched into my skin. I wasn't sure how I was going to hide it from my friends, but hopefully they wouldn't notice. There was no need to worry them, especially Nya. It was just one little detention. I would never be back here again and my hand would heal eventually.

I got up to leave, but Clouse stopped me. "I haven't dismissed you yet."

I squeezed his cursed quill so hard I thought it would break. "I wrote your 200 hundred lines," I said.

"I'm not sure the message has sunk in yet," Clouse said, and he grinned at his own twisted joke. "Write another fifty lines, and if you disobey me again, I'll make you write 500 lines."

My hand started shaking, not from the pain, but from anger. How dare he? I did everything he asked, and he still kept pushing me further. Flames pulsed under my skin, and I was so tempted throw a fireball in his face and make him write fifty lines, but I wouldn't let him break me. I'll finish this, and whatever else he throws at me. I grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment and started again.

I could feel every letter dig into my skin, but I refused to give up. I started counting the number of lines to distract myself. Ten…eleven…twelve. Only, what, 38 more lines left? I almost sighed, but I felt Clouse's dark eyes boring into me, waiting for me to mess up.

After what seemed like hours, I finally finished. I looked up at Clouse, but I still held on to the quill, just in case. But even he couldn't be that cruel. I hoped.

"Is that your best work, Mr. Umas?" Clouse asked.

I froze. "Yes, sir," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. If he wanted a reaction out of me, I wouldn't give him one.

The professor stared at me and I stared back. "Very well. You may go."

I resisted the urge to reply, or even mutter under my breath. He was still watching me. I walked away and opened the door with my aching hand, just to prove to that monster I could.

I ran back across the school to get back to Garmadon's hut, and I only paused to look at the clock. I growled. Clouse kept me in detention for two hours. I wondered if everyone was still in that small, drafty little shack. Probably not. It would probably best to meet up with them during lunch tomorrow. That way, I could give my hand some time heal, so they wouldn't be quite as worried.

I ran to the Owlery and sent a letter to everyone. It took me a few tries but I finally got it.

Hey guys,

Sorry I took so long. Can you believe Clouse made me write 250 lines? That man is crazy. My hand's a little sore, but other than that I'm fine. The punishment could have been a lot worse. I'm sorry we didn't get to help Lloyd today, but writing lines took a lot longer than I thought. See you all lunch tomorrow.

\- Kai

Not too vague and not flat out lying to my friends. All in all it was a job well done. I wish I could have told them what really happened, especially Nya, but I knew they would freak out. I sighed. We needed to worry about Lloyd, not my problems.

To make myself feel better, I promised myself to tell everyone the truth once Lloyd was back to normal. But right now, my friend was my number one priority.

* * *

**AN**: Sorry, I posted it a little later today. I know it's a bit shorter, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Reviews are always welcome, and I just want to thank JBomb217 and NaninaDaPanda for reviewing every single chapter! Thank you so much! See you next week.


	6. Chapter 6-Fighting Back

Chapter 6: Fighting Back

* * *

_I walked into DADA. Clouse leered at me. "You're late, Mr. Umas." The whole class laughed and he forced the black quill into my hand. "Write: I will do as I am told."_

_No! I just wrote these lines yesterday! I couldn't write anymore. My hand shook just thinking about it. _

"_Write, Mr. Umas, or I will be forced to take more extreme measures." I looked up and suddenly all my friends appeared. I froze. What was he doing?_

"_Crucio!" Clouse yelled. Jay screamed, Zane began to spark and steam; Cole and Lloyd writhed in pain, and Nya…I couldn't look at her._

"_Stop!" I yelled, but Clouse ignored me. "Stop! Please!" I screamed._

_Clouse turned and glared at me. "Then write, Mr. Umas."_

_I tried, I tried so hard, but my hand felt like it was on fire and I dropped the quill. "I can't," I whispered._

"_How disappointing."_

I woke up with my friends' screams echoing in my ears. I shook my head. I hadn't had nightmares in a long time. In fact, I hadn't any memorable dreams since the whole Green Wizard thing. I wondered if this dream meant something, or if it was just because of the detention. Probably just detention. I was stressed about Lloyd and so that's why my friends showed up in my dream too.

Although Clouse was pretty evil… I wouldn't put it past him to torture students to get what he wanted. Once Lloyd was back to normal, we were going to have to get rid of both Clouse and Master Chen, but right now, we had to handle one thing at a time.

After tossing and turning for a while, I finally went back to sleep. And then I had a nightmare I overslept, and then I actually overslept, so I had to skip breakfast, sprint toward class, but then I realized I forgot to grab my essay, so I had to sprint all the way back, and then I was late to class. To top it all off, I could still see the words 'I will do as I am told' on the back of my hand. All in all, when I walked into the library for lunch, I was in a terrible mood. Lloyd was also nowhere to be seen, but after our kidnapping attempt, I didn't blame him.

"Hey, Kai," Cole said.

"Hey," I mumbled back. I didn't feel much like talking right now.

"So we got your letter, are you okay?" Nya asked.

"I'm fine," I said.

"You sure?" Jay asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I just had to write a bunch of lines, and I didn't sleep well." I tried to force a smile. Nobody seemed to buy it.

"What happened to your hand?" Zane asked.

I flinched and hid my injured hand under my lunch tray. Leave it to Zane's android eyes to see my brand new scar. "Nothing. I probably just scratched it."

"Kai…" Nya said. I was in trouble now.

"I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me," I paused and my sister glared at me. She didn't believe me for one second. We had spent most of our lives worrying about each other and Nya wasn't about to stop now. I needed to change the subject. "So what happened with Garmadon? You didn't stay in his shack too long, did you?"

"Garmadon told us to come back later. Said he didn't want us risking our necks for him, and that he was going to get his wand back himself," Cole answered.

"Yeah, I was kinda glad too, that hut was horrible," Jay jumped in.

"We were going to wait for you," Cole added, "but then Lloyd woke up and we had a whole new set of problems to deal with."

"He was going to tell Master Chen everything!" Jay exclaimed. "I thought we were going to be expelled!"

I noticed Zane and Nya were still staring at me. "So then what happened?" I prompted. Nya frowned.

"Zane erased Lloyd's memory!" Jay said.

"Seriously?" I glanced at the android. I knew he was good, but to erase Lloyd's memories…? And wasn't that a bit extreme?

"I only erased his recent memory," Zane explained. "The last thing he remembers is our study session."

"Before or after he tried to run away from us?"

"After," Nya sighed. "He thinks he hit his head on the door while trying to escape."

"Yeah, he's not too happy with us right now," Jay said. We all looked at the empty spot were Lloyd should have been.

"We're going to fix this," I said. "I promise."

"I hope so," Nya said.

The lunch bell rang. "Can we meet back here for dinner?" I asked before everyone left. That would give me enough time to take a nap and to think about our situation. I wanted to start helping Lloyd as soon as possible.

"I can't," Jay said, fiddling with his scarf. "I have detention with Clouse."

I cringed. I forgot Jay had detention too. "Good luck," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Jay nodded and left to go to his next class. I watched him go, debating whether or not to warn him. But that would probably make Jay feel worse, and who knows if Clouse was going to make him write lines like I did. My heart clenched in my chest. I didn't want him to get hurt.

I tore my eyes away and looked at my friends. "What about you guys?"

Zane shook his head. "I have another engagement," he said cryptically.

Cole smirked. "You're meeting with your girlfriend, aren't you?"

"You have a girlfriend? Since when?" I gaped.

"It's Pixal," Nya explained for me. Oh right. She was Zane's date for the Yule ball.

"You kept in touch with her?" I asked, slightly jealous. I tried to exchange letters with Skylor, but with the Overlord's return and dark wizards everywhere, it didn't really work out.

Zane nodded. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was embarrassed. "Well, I won't stop you," I sighed. There was nothing we could really do until we got Garmadon's wand back and he wanted to do that himself.

Zane smiled. "Thank you," he said and left for his next class.

"I'll come," Cole offered. "You know I won't pass up dinner."

"Me too," Nya said. I swallowed. She was probably going to grill me about detention, but with Cole watching I couldn't really back down.

"Alright," I said, trying to muster a smile. "See you then."

Unfortunately, I was late to Professor Nuero's class, so he gave me a lunch detention for tomorrow. I groaned; my day just got worse. On the bright side, it couldn't be nearly as bad as Clouse's detention. My last few classes dragged on and on, but finally, I was done for the day. I dragged one foot in front of the other and crashed on my bed. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

"_Kai! Kai! Why were you late for the dinner?" Nya shouted. "I was waiting over an hour for you!"_

"_I was sleeping," I protested._

"_Sleeping? Sleeping?" Nya shouted. "How could you? You promised you'd be here and you decided to sleep instead."_

I jolted awake. It had only been fifteen minutes. I rolled over but now I was too nervous to fall asleep. I didn't want to make my sister angry. The last time we got into a fight, it nearly tore me apart. I sighed. I couldn't even nap in peace.

I walked into the dining hall and Cole and Nya were already there. I sat down and decided to try something different. Dumplings, Lloyd's favorite.

"So, Kai, how did you hurt your hand again?" Nya asked.

I jerked my left hand under the table. It still hadn't healed yet. "I told you, I scratched it. It'll be fine by tomorrow," I replied.

Nya folded her arms. "You're telling me that you scratched your hand into the exact phrase, 'I will do as I am told'?"

I cringed and took a bite of dumpling so I wouldn't have to answer right away. I swallowed and glanced at Cole and Nya. They were both waiting for an answer. I sighed. I couldn't keep it hidden any longer, so I told them everything.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Cole asked. "We're your friends."

"I didn't want to worry you," I said. "We need to helping Lloyd, and besides, it's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Nya repeated. "Kai, Clouse tortured you with dark magic! We have to tell someone."

"Who?" I asked bitterly. "Clouse works for Chen, and everyone is afraid of him. Even the teachers don't stand up to him."

After Garmadon's complete humiliation, most of the resistance to Master Chen died, and any who did question him ended up disappearing down a trap door. After Professor Nuero fell in the middle of the main courtyard, the whole school fell into line.

Cole swallowed his bite of cake. "What about Master Wu? Couldn't we send him an owl or something?"

I shook my head. "He's busy fighting dark wizards and stopping the Overlord."

"We have to do something," Nya insisted.

"It's fine guys. It's just one detention," I said.

"What about Jay?" Nya demanded. "He's in detention with him right now! What if he gets hurt? We have to help him!"

I glared at my sister. "I know! But what choice do we have? The three of us can't just march up to his office. He's a grown wizard with way more experience and power."

Nya glared right back. "We can't just abandon him!"

"Nya," Cole broke in. "I hate to say it, but I think Kai's right."

"What?!"

"Clouse is too powerful and with Master Chen behind him, there's nothing we can do."

Nya stared at Cole, then turned back to me. Finally she sighed, "I know, but I still don't like it."

"I know," I replied. Silence fell over our table. I tried to go back to eating, but all I could think about was Jay. I pictured him fumbling with his orange scarf; Clouse looming over him, torturing him…If only there was something we could do.

"If only there were more of us," I murmured to my dumplings. "Then we could drive out Chen and Clouse once and for all."

"We could build a resistance," Cole suggested. "Tons of people hate being under Master Chen's rule. If we recruited them all, we might stand a chance."

I jerked my head up. I was only wishing out loud, but the way he put it…maybe we could actually do this. Maybe we could fight back.

"That's a good idea," I replied. "I think I know some people in my classes who would join us."

"Me too," Nya jumped in.

I grinned. This was actually happening. "I'll send an owl to Zane and Jay so they can help out too. Now all we need is a place to meet, and we'll be all set."

The three of us thought for a moment. "The courtyards are out," I said.

"All the classes are occupied or watched," Nya said.

"Same with the common rooms and the library," I added.

"What about Garmadon's hut?" Cole suggested.

I shook my head. "That place is a mess, and, besides, it's way too small. There's no way we could meet there."

"We could fix it up," Nya suggested. "And when Garmadon gets his wand back, I'm sure he'll help us too."

"Okay, unless we find something better," I said. We all grinned at each other. This might actually work. We could stop Master Chen and Clouse from ruining our school.

"Now all we need is name," Cole said. "Like the Spinjitsu Warriors."

"What?" Nya asked.

"The Spinjitsu Warriors, it's from a TV show I watched," Cole explained.

"We'll work on the name later," I promised. "Right now, we just need to focus on getting members and fixing up Garmadon's shack so we can have our first meeting."

Cole and Nya nodded. I grinned. I love it when a plan comes together.

* * *

AN: Sorry I posted late, I had a college visit on Friday and I didn't get back till today. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and reviews are always welcome!


	7. Chapter 7-Wand Heist

**Chapter 7: Wand Heist**

* * *

After dinner, I ran up to the Owlery to spread the good news. I also sent one to Nya and Cole, so we could all meet together in Garmadon's hut tomorrow. It seemed like a good place to start, since we could either work on helping Lloyd or fixing up our new meeting place.

I sat down at lunch and waited for the others to arrive. We had a lot to talk about. I watched Zane, Nya, and Cole walk in through the door, but Jay hadn't arrived yet. I didn't want to start planning without him, so we all started eating. Ten minutes later, Jay shuffled into the library, his head down. I noticed he was clutching his left hand, and my heart sank.

"Jay!" Nya cried.

Jay lifted his head and his eyes looked red and puffy. "Hey," he said weakly.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. This is why we needed the Resistance. So no one gets tortured by that monster again.

After classes, we walked down to Garmadon's hut, talking about the name of our rebellion. I smiled. It was nice distraction from everything going on around us. By the time we reached Garmadon's hut, all of us (except for Cole) agreed that we weren't naming our resistance after random TV shows, but were no closer to an actual name. We spent the day improving his hut, making it larger, fixing all the holes, and by the end of the week, it actually started looking like a home. Soon, I'd be proud to hold the first ever resistance meeting here.

As we got ready to head back after a long afternoon, I could hear fevered muttering coming from inside the hut. "Garmadon?" I called. "You okay?"

No response. None of us had seen the warlord the entire time we were making repairs, and I was started to get a little worried. I pushed open the door and Garmadon was bent over his table holding a flame in one of his upper hands.

"Can we come in?" Nya asked.

"What?" Garmadon turned his head sharply, but when he saw it was just us his gaze softened. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Then he turned right back to his table.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked.

"Trying to get my wand back," Garmadon replied. "But my old mentor hasn't made it easy. There are traps everywhere."

We all glanced at each other. I was hoping at this point the warlord would have at least made a plan to help Lloyd. Maybe we could help speed things along.

"We could help you," I offered.

Garmadon shook his head. "No, no. I can do this myself."

"But we can use magic, and you can't," Cole pressed. The warlord growled, but didn't reply.

"Please?" Nya asked.

"This is my wand. I should be the one to get it back," the warlord answered firmly. "Besides, you kids would just get in the way."

"We have defeated the Overlord, the Great Devourer, the Dementors and helped Lloyd survive the Tri-wizard Tournament. We can do this," Zane said.

"We want to help Lloyd too," I added.

Garmadon stiffened. Then, after an eternity, he stared at each one of us in turn.

"Alright," he said at last.

Yes!

"So where do we start?" I asked.

Garmadon turned back to his table and grabbed a sheet of paper. "This is Chen's office. We have to get in, avoid his traps, find my wand, and get out before he finds us."

"It's huge!" Jay cried. Huge was an understatement. Master Chen had taken over all of Takai Tower, the largest structure in the school, and turned it into his own personal lair. There were hundreds upon hundreds of rooms to explore, and no doubt that all of them were booby-trapped.

"Your wand could be anywhere," Cole said.

"I know." Garmadon answered. "But, I suspect my wand is here," he pointed to the very top of the tower. "That's where his greatest treasures are kept."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I helped move them," he replied, shuddering at the memory. "I hate being that man's janitor."

"So now we just got to get to the top of the tower and get the wand back," I thought out loud.

"What about all the traps?" Jay demanded. "I do not want to fall down another trap door."

"Trust me," Garmadon said, "falling down a trap door is the least of your concerns."

And from the look on Garmadon's face, I didn't want to know what kind of unspeakable horrors lay in that tower. Jay gulped.

"What about the outside of the tower?" Zane asked.

Everyone stared at him. "What do you mean?" Nya asked.

"Yeah, Zane. The Takai tower is way too tall to climb," Cole said.

"No, wait!" Garmadon said. "The android might be on to something. You guys learned how to fly a broomstick right?"

I thought back to my first year. Nope. Never learned. In fact, I think I've had nothing but the same seven classes for the past five years. Kind of sad now that I think about it. We all shook our heads.

"I read a book on the subject, but have never ridden one myself," Zane replied.

"Seriously?" Garmadon shook his head. "What has my brother been teaching you? It doesn't matter. You can learn on the go."

"You sure?" Jay asked, fiddling his scarf all the while.

Garmadon waved one of his hands. "Of course. It'll be easy. Now, back to the tower." He pointed to back to the blueprints. "Chen only has a few curses on the top window, so we'll stand a better chance of getting in."

"Only a few curses?" Cole repeated.

Garmadon nodded. "With your wands, it'll be easy to disarm them, get in and get out."

I glanced at everyone. We'd been through worse before, but I didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt if I could help it. They all nodded at me.

"Alright," I said to Garmadon. "Let's do this."

"Meet me back here at midnight," Garmadon said. "Chen should be asleep by then."

* * *

Hours later, I slipped out of my bed, grabbed my wand, and snuck out of my dorm. Once I was sure no one was around, I lit my wand and made my way out of the school. Before long, I arrived at Garmadon's hut. Zane was already there, of course, and so was Nya, but we were still waiting for Cole and Jay.

The minutes dragged by, and the night air was starting to get to me. I snapped my fingers and summoned a small flame to warm my hands. What could be taking so long? Did they oversleep?

"What time is it?" I asked.

"12:19 AM," Zane replied.

Garmadon growled, "If those two don't show up with the next five minutes, we'll leave without them."

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," I said, both to reassure myself and Garmadon. I peered as far as I could into the darkness. "Come on guys," I muttered. "Where are you?"

Finally, I caught a glint of Jay's scarf, and as he got closer, I could see Cole was with him too. I breathed a sigh of relief. Both of them were out of breath, but otherwise they seemed fine.

"Jay!" Nya cried, and she gave him a big hug, but I was so happy to see both of them here that I decided to let it slide.

"What, no hug for me?" Cole joked. "I'm here too you know."

Nya let go of Jay. "I know, sorry, Cole." He stepped forward eagerly, and Nya embraced him too, though I noticed that Cole's hug was a lot shorter.

"What took you guys so long?" I asked.

Cole and Jay looked at each other. "Clouse found us in the halls," Cole started.

"And then he sent a giant purple snake after us!" Jay cried.

"But not as big as the Great Devourer," Cole put in.

"It was still huge!" Jay said.

"How did you escape?" Zane asked.

"We ran down the halls, but it wouldn't give up. You know that passage by the Potions Wing?" Cole asked.

"The really creepy one?" Jay added.

I nodded. I remembered it from when we went through there while looking for my sister during our second year. We came out on the other side and found a message written in blood. That was something I'd never forget.

"We ran down there, and it was so narrow, the snake couldn't fit. We lost it after that," Cole explained.

"And then we sprinted over here as fast as we could," Jay finished.

Nya smiled. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Garmadon glowered at them. "But now Clouse knows what we're up to."

I didn't like the look in his eyes. "We don't know that," I said quickly. "He just saw them up past curfew, they could've been doing anything."

The former warlord just shook his head. "You kids have a lot to learn. Clouse wouldn't have sent his 'pet' if he didn't suspect something was up. Guaranteed we'll have a nasty surprise waiting for us at the top of the tower." He pushed past us and started marching.

"We're still going?" Cole asked.

"If we don't, Chen will move my wand. It's now or never."

"Even though it could be a trap?" Jay asked.

"That's why all of you are here," Garmadon replied. His back was still to us, so I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. I swallowed hard, but I followed him. This was for Lloyd, I told myself.

A few minutes later, we were at the base of the tower, where several broomsticks were waiting for us. In the dim wand light, it was hard to see, but I could tell these were old and dusty. I picked one up and cringed. There were cobwebs in the tail, and I think one of the spiders was still living there. Zane had to shake several bugs out of his.

"We're going to fly on these?" Nya asked.

"They were the best I could find," Garmadon said. "They haven't been used since I was in school, but they'll get us to the top."

"And when were you in school?" Cole asked, eying his broom nervously.

"Over a hundred years ago," the warlord replied while mounting his broom with practiced ease.

'Great,' I thought to myself. I was nervous before, but now, I decided to keep my feet firmly on the ground.

"I don't think this is a good idea," I said. Everyone else nodded in agreement. There was probably a reason Wu took flight out of the curriculum.

"You'll be fine," he assured us, and flew a lap above our heads to prove it. "Just a little dusty. Mount up, we don't have all night."

I held the broom in front of me and to my surprise it started levitate. I just swung my leg around, when:

"No! Don't hold it like that! Reverse your grip, no, the other way. There you go. Now push with your legs, not too much though, you just want to hover for now."

I took a deep breath, and then I was floating. I felt like I could fall at any minute, but I was really doing it! I looked around at my friends. Jay tried to copy me, but instead, he slipped off the back and fell hard on the ground.

"No, no, no!" Garmadon growled. "Sit in the dip in the broom! That's what it's there for! And you!"

I followed his gaze and I noticed a blur charging straight toward me. I ducked, and a cold wind whipped through my hair. "Hey!" I complained.

"Sorry!" A voice yelled. I looked back and Cole was zooming all over the place like he was riding a wild horse. He leaned one way and started heading for the ground, and then he jerked the other way and nearly slipped off the back. "I can't control this thing!" he cried.

"Sit up straight! Leaning steers the broom," Garmadon commanded.

Cole sat up, and almost immediately, he leveled out and slowed to a stop. "Phew!" he said.

"And," Garmadon paused, looking at Zane. "Well, I guess you're fine," the warlord admitted. Then he turned to Nya. She had watched all of us before getting on her broom, so a minor grip adjustment later, we were all ready to go.

"Lean forward a little to make the broom go, and pull up with your hands," Garmadon instructed. "Like this." Soon, he had his broom up in the air following the wall of the tower.

This is it. Time to fly.

"Come on!" Garmadon called. "We don't have all night."

I tightened my grip. "Here goes nothing," I muttered. I leaned forward a little, and the broom began to carry me toward the wall. My heart pounded, and I yanked up with my hands, and the handle started pointing up. Suddenly, I was staring at the stars, and I realized that if I let go…well, better not think about that. Besides, all of my friends were all around me, so even if I fell, one of them would catch me. Hopefully.

Garmadon glanced behind him, and noticed we were starting to lag behind. He pulled up and waited for us to catch up. "You guys are no fun. It's like flying with snails. Lean forward more, like this." He bent down till he was almost level with the handle and shot ahead.

I didn't want to get left behind, but I also didn't want to fall. But, I reasoned, if I went faster, the sooner I'd reach the top and the sooner I could get back on solid ground. I pushed myself forward till I was level the broom. The wind rushed in my face as raced faster and faster until I finally started to gain on Garmadon.

My heart pounded in my chest, and my fear turned into excitement. This was absolutely amazing. It was like going down a roller coaster and you could almost feel yourself falling out of your seat, but I was flying, really flying. It was like a dream come true. I wondered why Wu had never taught us. I pulled along side Garmadon and I smirked.

"Race you to top!" I shouted.

The former warlord flashed me a toothy grin. "Now that's more like it!"

I urged my broom to go faster. Wind stung my face, but I kept going. I looked back and Garmadon was right on my tail. I turned around and pushed myself to go even harder. I was going to make it. I was almost to the top when Garmadon whipped out in front of me.

"Sorry, kid," he said. "I got a reputation to maintain."

I frowned and sat up, coming to a stop next to him. "I was so close too," I muttered. I glanced down the tower, and everyone was still far away. It'd probably be another five minutes before they caught up.

Garmadon glanced back at me. "You're not half bad flyer," he said, almost kindly, but then he cleared his throat, "But of course, I've got more experience, a lot more tricks up my sleeve."

I sighed, and the warlord's eyes softened. "You know, kid, if you really want to fly sometime, I wouldn't mind teaching you some of my secrets."

I stared at Garmadon, not quite sure if I had heard him right. I had seen him be kind to Lloyd, but he had always seemed kind of aloof to the rest of us. But I had really enjoyed flying; it was exciting and made me feel alive.

I smiled and nodded. "When this all over, sure."

Garmadon smiled back, and then the others began to pull alongside us.

"How do you stop this thing?" Cole cried.

And just like that, Garmadon went back to being a commanding warlord. "Sit up and level your handle," he barked.

Cole did as he was told and soon we were all staring at the top window of the Takai Tower.

"So now what?" Jay asked.

"Now, we break into the tower without being detected," Garmadon answered.

"Or cursed," I added.

"Or cursed," he amended.

"So how do we do that?" Jay asked.

"Well, we should probably check for spells before we do anything," Nya suggested.

Garmadon urged his broom to the ledge, and we all followed.

"One of you know the revealing charm?" he asked.

Zane pulled out his wand. "_Specialis revelio!" _and he tapped the window. Nothing happened.

"I guess Chen didn't think to guard the window," Cole said.

Garmadon frowned, but didn't say anything. It was a little suspicious, but I trusted Zane. If he didn't reveal any spells, then there probably weren't any. I grabbed at the latch, but it wouldn't budge.

"Locked," I muttered.

"Oh! I got this!" Jay cried, zooming to the front of our little group. "_Alohomora!" _He yelled pointed his wand at the window.

I tried again and this time the window slid open easily. I hopped off the broom and landed with a soft thud in the room. It was pitch black, and I couldn't hear anything, so I waved everyone else inside.

Then the window snapped shut behind us. Jay banged on the window, but it didn't budge. "We're trapped!" he cried.

A loud cackle filled the room and the lights snapped on. Clouse had his wand raised and aimed straight toward us. Garmadon was right, it was a trap.

Then, Master Chen stepped out of the shadows, still laughing like a madman.

"Oh, Garmadon," he said, shaking the warlord's wand right at him. "You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?"

* * *

**AN: Oh snap! How are they going to get out of this one? See you next week!**


	8. Chapter 8-Not so Clean Getaway

**Chapter 8: A Not so Clean Getaway**

* * *

Garmadon growled, but there was nothing he could do. Clouse had his wand pointed right at us. One wrong move and we were done for. Well, we were kind of done for anyway. Now that all of us had been seen, they were free to make our entire lives miserable. This was the end.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Zane cried, and Clouse's wand went flying. Before either of them could react, Garmadon pounced on Chen, using his four arms to wrestle his wand back.

"Clouse! Do something!" Chen cried.

Clouse reached for his own wand, but I launched a fireball straight at him. Clouse leapt back and glared at me.

"You made a big mistake, boy," he said.

"Oh, really?" I said, as my friends ran to my side.

"It's five against one, and you don't even have a wand!" Cole yelled at him.

Clouse smirked. "I don't need one!" He slammed a button on the wall and the floor opened up under us.

"Not another trapdoor!" Jay cried. My stomach lurched in my throat as we began to tumble into the darkness. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited to hit the bottom.

A hand grabbed my shirt. "Gotcha!" Cole yelled and I looked up. Somehow he had managed to grab the edge of the door and me at the same time. Then, something latched onto my foot, and the weight almost wrenched me out of Cole's grasp. But he gritted his teeth and pulled tighter. I looked down and saw Zane, Jay and Nya had all latched onto each other like a human ladder. Poor Cole. If it wasn't for his super strength, I bet we would all be plummeting into the abyss right now.

"Hang on guys," Cole hissed through his teeth. He grunted and swung his feet into the stonewall, creating a ledge for him to stand on. Then he let go of the door and grabbed onto me with both hands.

"Climb up!" he said. I braced myself and pulled up as hard as I could, but everyone's weight hanging on me was too much.

"I can't," I groaned.

"Come on!" Cole complained, but he leaned back and yanked with all his might, and this time, I managed to get a foot on the ledge. Zane took the opportunity to let go of me and grab the ledge instead.

Without all the extra weight, I leaned forward and pulled my other leg up onto solid ground. I paused to catch my breath. That was too close.

"A little help here?" Cole called. Oh right, the others! I slipped my wand in my robe, and grabbed onto Zane's other hand.

"On three," I said. Cole nodded.

"Three!" And with a giant heave, the others joined us one by one on the ledge.

"That was close," Nya said.

"Too close," Jay agreed.

"Yeah, let's not do that again," I said.

"Everyone, listen," Zane broke in. We all paused.

"Excellent, Clouse," Master Chen praised. "Although, you could have been a little quicker about it."

"My apologies, Master," Clouse replied.

"Now, as for you, Garmadon," Chen said. "You'll pay for your insubordination. Clouse, feed him to that pet of yours."

"Of course, Master," he said, and I thought I detected a bit of sick pleasure in his voice.

"What do we do?" Jay whispered.

"We rescue Garmadon, of course," I said. "We need him to help Lloyd."

"Easier said than done," Cole replied. "How we going to get past Chen and Clouse?"

"Watch this," I said. I grabbed my wand again and scrambled up the wall.

"Kai, what are you doing?" Nya hissed.

I kept going.

"Kai!" I ignored my sister. "Kai!" She whispered louder, but I had already jumped out of the trap door.

"_Stupefy!"_ I yelled, and before Clouse had time to blink he was on the ground cold. Glancing around, I saw Garmadon completely tied from head to foot with thick ropes.

"You!" Chen yelled. "You'll pay for that!" He whipped out his own wand, but I was already by Garmadon's side.

"_Diffindo!" _And with a swipe of my wand Garmadon was cut free.

"Why, you, you—" Chen shrieked. "_Stupefy!"_

I rolled as fast as I could as a bolt of light came flying at me. I glanced up and fortunately, Garmadon managed to push himself out of the way and the spell dissipated into the floor.

"Stay still!" Chen screamed as he fired off a new set of curses. I ran with Garmadon and we hid behind a fancy chair. The spells shook our hiding place, but we were safe. For now, anyways.

"Where's your wand?" I asked.

"In his robe," Garmadon replied.

"Great," I muttered. I peeked past the giant arm of the chair, just in time to see a scarlet spell flying toward my face. I ducked back and it just clipped my cheek. "We're completely pinned down. Have any ideas?" I glanced at Garmadon. If anyone could get us out of here, the former warlord was our best bet.

Flames sparked into his four hands. "Got one," he replied with a grin. "How's your aim?"

"Fine, just give me a clear shot."

"You take left, I take right. He can't hit both of us at once."

I nodded and braced myself to dodge more spells when someone groaned. Clouse. My spell was wearing off. "_Stupefy!"_ I yelled again. I turned back to Garmadon. "That won't last forever."

"Then we need to move."

"_Expelliarmus!"_ I glanced past the chair. It was Nya! She came for me. I grinned.

"Thanks, sis!" I called.

"Someone has to save your hide," she shot back. Behind her, Zane, Cole and Jay clambered out of the hole. I grinned.

"Give up, Chen," Garmadon said, drawing up to full height. "Your surrounded and unarmed."

"No, no, no!" he cried. The pathetic 'master' bolted behind his desk. "You'll never get your wand!" Chen slammed a bunch of buttons and the floor started to drop.

"Not again!" Jay cried.

"Quick!" I shouted, leaping through the air before the trapdoor could open all the way. I hit the ground running and shot toward Chen before he could press any more buttons.

"Buttons, buttons," he muttered. "One of these will stop you!"

I dodged holes opening up every which way, and ducked as giant blades swung from the air. I was almost to desk. This evil headmaster was going down.

"Help!"

I skidded to a stop. Jay was limping. I swallowed a lump in my throat. I can't believe I didn't notice before. I don't even know how he got hurt. Nya was helping him along, but a series of doors was opening right nearby. If someone didn't something, they were both going to fall.

Nya glanced around the room and called again, louder this time, "Someone! Please." I was the closest one to them. Cole and Zane had problems of their own to deal with. Clouse had woken up again and was keeping them both on their toes. I glanced back at Chen. He was using the commotion to grab his wand.

"Gah!" Jay had fallen down a hole, Nya was trying to pull him up but…

"Go! I'll take care of Chen," Garmadon said. He didn't have to tell me twice. I sprinted toward Jay, but a series of blades blocked my path.

"Kai! Help!" my sister begged. A giant axe was swinging in front of me and series of spikes poked out of the floor. What to do, what to do…

"Kai!" Nya shrieked. She was slipping fast, and I could barely make out Jay, but I couldn't get to them. It would take too long to go around. I wish I could just lift them up from here. There had to be a spell…I got it!

"_Wingardium Leviosa!" _I shouted. Jay began to rise clean out of the hole, and Nya along with him. Yes! It's working! Now to find a safe place to put them. Where they were standing was far too dangerous, maybe I could guide them over to where I was. I didn't have a lot of time, though. Wingardium Leviosa only worked on objects and I could see the strain on Jay's robes. If I didn't hurry, they would rip clean off and both Nya and Jay would fall to their deaths.

I raised my wand so they could float over the spikes. Nya clung to Jay like a lifeline, but she didn't cry out. My heart pounded. The spell only worked on one object at a time. If Nya let go, she would be impaled. I shook my head. _Focus_, _Kai_, I thought. _Get them over here. _

The axe swung past my face again. I took a deep breath. For a moment, I was reminded of an old videogame I used to play, but these were real people. And there were no extra lives.

I pulled them forward, but the axe was too fast, I jerked them back last minute, but—

"Careful, Kai!" Jay yelled. "You almost got us killed!"

"You alright?" I asked.

"Just a scratch," Nya replied. "I'll be okay."

With the blade out of the way, I could see blood dripping down my sister's cheek. I couldn't believe I got my sister hurt. I had to be more careful. This time, as soon as the axe passed, I pulled them over as fast as I could and set them down next to me.

"Ow!" Jay groaned, clutching his leg. I winced. Probably should have set them down more gently. Then, I turned to Nya. Up close, the cut was a lot shallower than I thought. It was just bleeding a ton. I grimaced, and ripped a piece of my kimono to try and clean her face.

"Kai," she complained, shooing my hand away. "I'm fine. Really. It's not that bad."

"I know," I said, but I kept wiping the blood. Finally, Nya just took the cloth and started doing it herself. While I waited, I glanced over at Zane and Cole. They had Clouse backed into a corner, and looked like they were about to win. Perfect. Meanwhile, Garmadon was throwing fireballs at Chen, trying to get close enough to grab his wand.

"Well, if you're alright," I started, "Let's go help Garmadon and get out of here."

Nya nodded, but Jay stayed on the floor. "You guys go ahead," he said. "But if you need assistance," he summoned some sparks in his hands, "Let me know."

I smiled. Jay was a good friend; even injured he was still willing to help. "If you get a clear shot, go ahead," I told him.

Nya and I circled around. Now that Chen wasn't pushing buttons anymore it was a whole lot easier. I darted left and shouted, "_Stupefy!"_

Chen dodged out of the way, but Nya was ready on the other side. "_Incarcerous!"_ Rope swirled out of her wand and bound Chen, just like Garmadon only a little while earlier. The former warlord darted forward with almost inhuman speed. He reached into Chen's pockets, despite the man's protests, and soon has his wand in hand.  
"Got it!" He yelled in triumph.

I turned back. "Zane! Cole! Let's go."

"But Clouse—" Zane said.

"No time!" I yelled. We needed to get out of here as soon as possible before something worse happened. I sprinted over to Jay, where Nya was already helping him up. "Come on," I called. "We have to get out of here."

Cole gave Clouse one last look before sprinting over to the window. "It's still locked!" He said.

"Leave that to me," Garmadon said with a smirk. "_Bombarda!"_ Suddenly, the entire window exploded and shards of glass went everywhere. I blocked my face, but my hands got cut all over.

"Seriously?" I asked him. "Did you have to do that?"

He just shrugged and mounted his broom. I helped Jay get onto his, and soon after we were flying back to Garmadon's hut.

"Now what?" Jay said. "We're wanted men! Clouse and Chen will find us, and then we'll be expelled, and—"

"Calm down, Jay," Cole said. "I'm sure Kai's got a plan, right?"

"Uh…" To be honest, I had no idea what we were going to do. The plan was to get Lloyd and drag him back to Garmadon's hut, but at this point it seemed impossible to get back into the school. Everyone's face began to fall.

"I was thinking we could hide here?" I trailed off and stared at Garmadon, who shrugged.

"I guess, but Clouse and Chen will find us here eventually. It's not like it's a huge secret."

"We're doomed!" Jay cried.

"No!" I said, slamming my fist on the table. Everyone jerked their heads to look at me. "We'll just get our resistance started sooner," I said. "We'll sneak in, get Lloyd, and once he's on our side again, he can help us gather people to fight against Chen before we get caught. We'll drive them out of here, and everything can go back to the way it was."

"How? The whole school we'll be on lockdown after we broke in," Zane pointed out. I faltered. Zane was our voice of reason. If he didn't know what to do, then…

"Leave that to me," Garmadon said. "I know all the ins and outs of this school. I'll find L-loyd in no time."

"See?" I said. "We'll make this work. We always do." The others didn't look so sure, but one by one they nodded.

"We're with you, Kai," Nya said at last.

"Now, and always," Cole added.

I smiled. "Thanks. You guys are the best."

* * *

**AN**: It's getting real guys! How will they save Lloyd? Read next week to find out! Reviews are always welcome, and thanks to NaninaDaPanda and JBomb217 for faithfully reviewing!


	9. Interlude

**Interlude: Waking Up (Lloyd's POV)**

* * *

Everything felt foggy. There was this, thing, taking up Lloyd's entire body. What started out as a harmless chill, had taken up every part of him until there was nothing left. He could feel it moving his body, using his voice, but he couldn't control it. Lloyd could only watch as it drove his friends away, leaving him all alone.

"It's not me!" he wanted to scream. But he couldn't. Lloyd was completely helpless.

_Give it up, Green Wizard_, the mist mocked. _I'm in control now, and there's nothing you can do._

Lloyd was starting to believe the voice was right. The weeks passed, and he felt more distant than ever. It was like living in a dream, well, more like a nightmare. He could hardly make out the world around him. Everything was just one big blur.

So when Garmadon dropped in front of Lloyd, he didn't get his hopes up. It was probably just a figment of his imagination. He had nothing else to do these days but think and dream.

His father opened his mouth, but Lloyd couldn't make out the words. It was like he was underwater, drowning in a thick green mist.

"I don't need saving, and I'm not going anywhere with you," it mocked, using Lloyd's voice. He cringed. He was going to push Garmadon away. Again. First his friends, and now his father. He was completely alone. The mist crossed Lloyd's arms and shoved past Garmadon.

But suddenly he stopped moving. The mist shuddered, and suddenly Lloyd could see. Like really, truly see. His father was right in front of him, his face firm, but his eyes full of concern. His four arms had latched onto Lloyd's body, not letting him leave. Not letting him be alone. His mouth moved again, but this time Lloyd could make out some of the words.

"I'm…going…save…you…"

Shock flooded his brain. He must be dreaming. The mist always got its way some way or another. It had won his body, his mind, and his life. This couldn't be happening. There was nothing his father could do anyways. Lloyd was a prisoner in his own body, unable to fight back.

"Let go of_—_" the mist tried to shout, but Garmadon covered his mouth, and picked him up. Lloyd cheered silently. Even if it was a just a dream, it felt good to see the mist lose. But then it turned inward towards him.

_Don't you dare! This is just a temporary setback, _it growled as Garmadon cradled Lloyd's body against his chest. Lloyd tried to laugh, but the mist smothered him till he couldn't even think straight. Cold flooded Lloyd's senses, taking over his last bit of consciousness. Then, everything went black.

—

Voices. Coming from far away. Talking about…him? Lloyd commanded his body to make a noise, to grab their attention, but nothing happened. He sighed mentally. At least he could hear. Sort of. Everyone still sounded like they were underwater, but maybe the mist was losing control. Or maybe this was just another dream after the mist finally decided to let him go.

"—help Lloyd," someone was saying.

"Don't worry, I got this," another replied… Dad? Had he been rescued? It was all real?

"I'm coming for you, L-loyd," Garmadon whispered. A spark flared in Lloyd's soul. It _was_ real.

_Of course it was real, dummy, _the mist taunted. _But they can't help you now. I have total control of your body._

Lloyd didn't care. He was going to be free. His father was going to find a way to get rid of the mist once and for all. Hope burned in his chest.

"_Legilimens!" _

_NO!_ the mist screamed, and it fled, rushing to block Garmadon's spell. For the first time in a long, long time, Lloyd didn't feel smothered. It was like he could breathe again. With the mist gone, he wasn't cold anymore. He could hear each one of his friends' worried voices with perfect clarity. He could see his father bent over with intense concentration, and… Lloyd took a deep breath.

"_Move!"_ Lloyd commanded. His finger twitched. Yes! He couldn't believe it! Then, his lip began to curl upwards. Lloyd was smiling! Amazing! His dad did it! He was free! He could move his own body.

_No, no, no!_ The mist screamed again. Then, just as quick as it left, the cold came crashing down, freezing his limbs. Lloyd wanted to cry, but his body wouldn't respond. As soon as he got his freedom it was taken away. The mist stole everything.

"_Don't give up, L-loyd! I'm coming!" _Garmadon shouted. Lloyd started. His dad was here? But…

The mist hissed in agitation. It was losing control. Either Garmadon would get rid of it or Lloyd would regain his bodily functions again. Lloyd tried to call back, but the mist covered him. _Oh, no you don't._

Lloyd struggled, but he couldn't move, and it was getting so, so hard to think.

_That's right. You're nothing. _

Nothing. The word echoed in Lloyd's mind, and his heart sank. The mist was right. Lloyd couldn't do anything. The chill had taken over his entire body and Lloyd hadn't even put up a fight. That night in the graveyard, he couldn't stop the Overlord from stealing his powers, or from killing Cedric. And if it hadn't been for his friends, he would have never survived any of the tasks. He hadn't even been able to rescue his own father; Kai had to go with him and Zane conjured the Patronus that saved Lloyd's life. He really was nothing.

The mist drifted toward Garmadon, its job done. Now all that was left was to drive the wizard out of what was rightfully his. Lloyd didn't even notice it was gone.

"Lloyd, fight back."

Kai? Lloyd wished he could tell his friend that he couldn't. That he was trapped with no way out.

"You can do it, buddy." Jay's normally loud voice sounded quiet, like he was miles away. It took a moment to realize this wasn't the mist's doing, but Jay was actually choked up.

_He cares_, Lloyd thought.

And one by one each of Lloyd's friends murmured their encouragement.

"Come back to us."

"We miss you."

"Show that ghost who's boss!"

_They all do,_ Lloyd amended. They wanted him back. After all his mistakes, after he was so useless…they still wanted to be his friend. Lloyd steeled his mind and reached out with all his might. This time, he wasn't going to let them down.

"_DAD!" _he cried with his mind. _"I'm here! Help me!"_

"_L-loyd!"_

Lloyd looked up, and a black streak broke through the green fog. Suddenly, Lloyd gasped, and the graveyard materialized around him. His body burned. No, no, no! Not again! Golden light poured from Lloyd…then the scene changed.

Lloyd was bent over Cedric's body. Guilt racked the young boy. If only he had just grabbed that cup in the first place, but no. Lloyd decided to be noble instead. If he had known…The memory continued. Lloyd dodged a killing curse and dragged himself forward. He reached for a gravestone, and time seemed to slow down.

_The weak stone crumbed in his grasp, but he managed to drag his body a few feet. He glanced at the name on the tomb. _

"_Sorry, Morro," he whispered. A chill set into Lloyd's bones from head to toe, so strong he actually shivered, but Lloyd ignored it threw out his arms and pulled his body forward. _

It suddenly dawned on Lloyd that the mist in his body was actually Morro. The person's grave he had destroyed. He hadn't meant to, it just kind of happened. The graveyard faded away until all Lloyd could see was black.

"_Morro!" _he called. "_Why are you doing this?"_

_So, you finally figured it out, little wizard? Sorry, but I can't answer any questions. I'm a little busy at the moment. _

Lloyd's body tightened and he felt himself sit up. "_You're not going to get away with this!" _Lloyd cried, but Morro only laughed. Lloyd's feet planted on the ground.

"_Don't worry, L-loyd. I'll stop him, but you gotta help me. Clear your mind, block out your emotions," _Garmadon instructed. Easier said then done, but Lloyd took a deep breath and tried quiet his turbulent thoughts. Lloyd could almost feel his dad's smile.

_No! What are you doing? Stop it!_

Lloyd ignored him, and tried to think of the things that calmed him down. Dumplings, lunchtime in the library, Kai promising they would get through this, and…the hug Garmadon had given him. Even with mist inside his body, his dad's four arms made him feel safe, like nothing could hurt him.

A shudder rolled through Lloyd, and the room faded away, but this time, Lloyd guessed they were inside Morro's head.

—

_A small boy with a green streak in his hair was pouring over books in the library. A younger Master Wu walked up behind him. _

"_What are you reading, Morro?"_

_The child beamed. "A book of spells! I'm going to be the best wizard ever!"_

_Wu smiled. "Indeed. You have great potential. If you continue to train, I have no doubt you will achieve greatness."_

—

_Stop it! _The mist begged.

Jay's smile, Zane's cooking, the blanket that his mom gave him before she left, Lloyd thought stubbornly. He refused to let Morro get to him. The scene switched.

—

_The boy was in another class. While most of the other students were falling asleep, Morro was sitting up straight, taking eager notes with his pen. _

"_The Green Wizard is destined to save us all from the threat of the Overlord," a teacher Lloyd didn't recognize said. "He will have the powers of the Gold Wizard, who defeated him a few years ago."_

_Morro's eyes gleamed, and when the bell rang he sprinted straight to the library. He checked out any book relating to the Green Wizard, and that night, he ran into Master Wu's office._

"_Master!" Morro called, slamming the door open. "I've been reading…"_

"_Have you now?" Wu smiled brightly at the boy._

"_Do you think I could be the Green Wizard?" he asked. _

"_It's possible, Morro."_

"_Yay! I'm going to go train!" _

—

Lloyd swallowed and dread filled his heart. He knew how this story was going to end. Wu told him that he was the Green Wizard, and the Overlord had stolen Golden Power from him. Lloyd couldn't help it. He felt bad for Morro. He was so young, so eager, and Wu fed his dreams.

_Yes, _the mist hissed. _Wu told me I could be the Green Wizard, but he lied! He told me I was special, but he was wrong. _

"I'm sorry," Lloyd told him, and he really meant it. "But why possess me? I didn't do anything to you."

_You're the Green Wizard. I will have your powers, no matter what!_

Cold tightened in Lloyd's chest, squeezing the life out of him. Lloyd wanted to shiver, but he couldn't move, and the feeling just kept getting worse. Morro was regaining control.

"_L-loyd, you have to clear your mind! Concentrate!" _Garmadon called. Lloyd could feel his dad struggling with the mist, but panic made it hard to think. What if he couldn't gain control? What would Morro do with his powers? What if he never saw his friends again?

"_Breathe, L-loyd!"_

Lloyd tried, but he couldn't. Morro made it impossible to do anything. He couldn't even squeeze his own eyes shut.

"_L-loyd!"_

"I'm trying!" Lloyd answered. Calm down. Calm down. Warm hugs, Wu's tea…Ugg! The cold was still there; it's not working. _Calm down!_ Lloyd scolded himself. Eating cake with Cole, laughing with his friends, getting tucked in at night, walking up to see the Monastery at the top of the Mountain…

—

_Morro was older now, probably in his seventh year. He had lost the bubbling energy he had as a child, and now walked with a confident swagger. He had an arrogant smirk on his face, and he held his wand loosely in his hand._

"_Master," he called. "I'm ready for that lesson you promised."_

"_Yes, Morro," Wu sighed. The pride had faded from his voice, and age was beginning to show in his face. _

"_To become the Green Wizard, you must summon green energy. To do this, clear your mind, and find the source of your true power."_

"_How, Master?" Morro pressed. _

_Wu stifled another sigh, and tried to explain again. "Focus. Imagine your mind is a pond, and your thoughts are the ripples. Still the pond, Morro."_

_Morro closed his eyes._

"_Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth."_

_Morro did as he was told._

"_Relax."_

_Morro let all the tension in his body melt away. His wand clattered to the floor._

"_Now, look deep into the pond. There resides your elemental power. Draw it out in its purest form."_

_Morro furrowed his brow in concentration. He drew his hands together and they began to glow. Wu watched with quietly, sipping his tea, but after the last ten attempts, he learned not to expect anything._

_Morro exhaled, snapping his eyes open, and his hands burst into flames. Morro glared at them, like it was their fault he hadn't succeeded. "Why? Why isn't it working? I did everything you asked—"_

_Wu set down his cup. "Morro, you are a talented wizard, one of the best I have ever taught." _

_Morro tensed at his teacher's tone. "But?" he prompted._

"_But you are not destined to be the Green Wizard. I'm sorry."_

_Morro's mouth dropped. "What?"_

"_Your talents lie elsewhere, Morro. It's time to move on."_

_Morro just shook his head. "No. You're wrong. I'll train twice as hard, I'll—"_

"_Enough!" Wu snapped, jumping to his feet. "Move on, Morro. You are not the Green Wizard, and you never will be. It isn't your destiny."_

_Morro growled. "I won't accept it. I'll show you. I'll make my own destiny!" He snatched his wand and stormed from the room._

—

"_Give up, Morro!" _Garmadon yelled._ "You've lost."_

_Never! _he shouted back.

Lloyd tried to tune them out. He had to stay calm. He thought of his uncle's words. His mind is a pond. His thoughts are the ripples. His mind faded to black once more.

—

_Morro ran into a graveyard. He followed every wisp; every rumor of the Overlord's presence, and it all led him here. This was the place the foul monster originated and where the Gold Wizard had finally defeated him, and where Morro was going to crush any remnant of him once and for all._

"_Come out, Overlord!" Morro shouted, drawing his wand. "I'm here to destroy you!"_

_A cackle reverberated around the graveyard, and Morro spun on his heels looking for the source._

"_And who are you?" A raspy voice hissed._

"_I'm Morro, the greatest wizard alive, and I'm going to destroy you!"_

"_So you say," the voice replied. "But what makes you think you can defeat me, the embodiment of pure evil? You're nobody, and not even Wu believes in you."_

_Morro blinked, but he quickly resumed his search for the Overlord. "How did you—"_

"_Know?" The Overlord interrupted. "I know everything. I can see inside your mind, Morro, and I see you are weak, a little orphan playing at being the Green Wizard. But I know your deepest thoughts, and you know the truth, don't you? You're nothing. You have no power."_

"_You're lying!" Morro yelled, but his voice shook. _

"_Really? Then show me your green power!" The Overlord challenged._

_Morro closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, but nothing happened._

"_Show me!" _

_Veins burst in Morro's head, and energy whirled and receded around him, but no green energy came forth. At last, Morro collapsed onto his knees._

"_Finish him," the Overlord commanded. Stone statues around the graveyard burst to life and marched toward the broken man. Morro opened his eyes and tried to fight back, but it was too late. The stone warriors couldn't be stopped. Morro's body crumpled to the ground, and all that was left was a green mist, lingering around a crumbled gravestone._

—

_I've hung on to life all these years, _the mist said. _I'm not giving up now._

"But we want the same thing," Lloyd argued, finally breaking out of his concentration. The mist had shrunk now, a little more and he would be plunged out of Lloyd's body for good. "We both want to stop the Overlord, right?"

"_L-loyd, what are you doing?" _Garmadon asked.

Lloyd ignored him. In all the memories, Lloyd had realized that Morro wasn't a bad person. He was bitter and angry, but underneath it all, he just wanted to prove he could do something. And although Morro had completely violated Lloyd's body, he kinda felt bad for the ghost. He couldn't let his dad totally destroy Morro, not yet.

_I _want _to be the Green Wizard, _he spat.

"You wanted to be strong," Lloyd corrected. "And you wanted Wu to accept you. I get that. I was ignored most of my life. But now the Overlord is back, and we need to stop him. And I can't do that if you're in my body."

_You can't stop the Overlord, you're just a child._

"And you're a ghost," Lloyd countered. "And yes, I'm a child, but I also have my friends, and my dad, and together, we'll stop the Overlord."

Morro laughed. _You think your little bands of misfits can stop that monster? You're more foolish than I thought._

"You can help us too," Lloyd added. "I saw your memories. You're a powerful wizard. We could use your help. But have to let go of me. Please, Morro."

The ghost laughed, but the malice behind it dissipated. _Being saved by my enemy, _he said. _Ironic isn't it?_

"We're not enemies. You don't want the Overlord to rule Ninjago, do you? You died trying to stop him, so help me stop him now."

The mist fell silent. Garmadon watched his son intently, the spell allowing him to feel his desire to save the ghost. He remembered how Lloyd had saved him, and decided to let his son give Morro a second chance.

_You're right about one thing,_ the mist admitted at last, _I don't want the Overlord ruling Ninjago, and I've been inside your head. _Morro took a shuddering breath. Garmadon had done a lot of damage to him, and his form was disappearing.

_You're a decent kid, weak, mind you, but you have a good heart. A lot better than mine. _Morro sighed. _But it's too late for me. You can only save someone who wants to be saved._

The mist vanished, and Lloyd suddenly could see and feel everything again, but instead of feeling joyful, all Lloyd could think about is how he failed to help Morro.

"_No, L-loyd,"_ Garmadon said to his son. "_You helped him to let go, and you gave him a second chance. That counts for more than you realize."_

Lloyd nodded, but he still couldn't help feeling guilty. Garmadon sighed, and ended the spell; leaving his son alone in his mind. He thought about Morro for a long time, and hoped that wherever he was, that the ghost had found peace. He took a deep breath and decided he would worry about him later, for now he more important things to deal with.

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed the Lloyd interlude chapter! Thanks to NaninaDaPanda and JBomb217 for being faithful reviewers! You are the best! Reviews are always welcome! Thanks for reading and see you next week!**


	10. Rebellion

Chapter 9: Rebellion

* * *

I bit my lip. "You think he's okay?" I asked the others.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Nya answered, but her face was pinched with worry. It'd been way too long, and there was nothing we could do but wait.

"What if—" Jay stuttered. "What if Garmadon can't help Lloyd? What if Lloyd has that ghost stuck inside him forever? What if Lloyd is never friend's with us again?"

"Not a chance."

I gasped. "Lloyd?"

He was leaning on Garmadon and looked absolutely exhausted, but he had a weak grin on his face. I couldn't believe it.

"You're back," Cole said.

"Yeah," Lloyd said. "It wasn't easy. I don't think I would've made it if wasn't for Dad." He gave Garmadon a grin.

"Anything for you, L-loyd," he replied. "I love you so much."

"It is good to see you again," Zane said.

"We missed you so much, buddy," Jay cried.

I couldn't speak. Lloyd had been gone for so long, and I had tried so hard to get him back and now that it finally happened…I didn't know what do. I ran forward and grabbed him. I had to make sure this was real and he wouldn't disappear.

"Kai, I can't breathe," Lloyd groaned.

I quickly let go. "Sorry, it's just— I was so worried."

"Yeah, all he's done is talk about you. Lloyd this, Lloyd that," Nya teased.

Lloyd chuckled, and soon everyone laughing. Even Garmadon cracked a smile.

"Hey," I protested. "You guys worried too."

"Yeah, but this was all your idea," Cole said.

"Really?" Lloyd asked.

"Well, I did promise to look after you," I replied sheepishly.

Lloyd smiled. "Thank you."

"It was nothing," I said, flashing him a cocky grin. Lloyd was my friend, but more than that, he was like my little brother; it was really no problem.

"Nothing?" Jay scoffed, and he almost went on a rant, but thankfully Lloyd cut him off.

"No, really. Thank you," Lloyd insisted. "I— I'm really sorry for how I treated you guys." His green eyes watered, and I immediately put my hand on his shoulder and pulled him into another hug.

"Hey, we all knew you couldn't help it," I reassured him.

Everyone nodded. "Yeah," Cole said. "Don't worry about it."

"You were not in control of your own actions," Zane added.

"But— you guys didn't talk to me for weeks. I thought I really hurt you guys."

My heart stopped. While we built our hideout for the resistance, Lloyd thought we abandoned him? I squeezed him tighter.

"No, Lloyd," I said. "We're friends. Nothing will ever change that."

"We don't blame you," Nya added.

Lloyd sniffed. "You are guys are the best friends I could ever ask for."

I grinned, and when I was sure Lloyd was all right, I finally let go.

"So what'd I miss while I was…you know?" Lloyd asked.

"Let me tell you," Jay began, and he launched into a long rant about his detention, our resistance, and then our fight with Chen.

"Wait, you actually fought Chen?" Lloyd asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, it was close, but we made it out okay," I said.

"Okay? I broke my ankle!" Jay complained.

"Mostly okay," I corrected. "But now we're kind of outlaws. If Chen finds us, we're pretty much dead."

"Yikes," Lloyd said.

"So we were hoping you could recruit people for us," Cole said. "We can't set foot in the school, but you can."

Lloyd blinked, trying to take it all in.

"You don't have to," Nya said quickly. "We can always find another way—"

"No, it's fine," Lloyd interrupted. "I'll do it."

I grinned. "Thanks, Lloyd. Just tell them if they want to end Chen's tyranny to come here, at Garmadon's place. We'll have our first meeting in a week, at midnight."

"Just be careful," Garmadon broke in. "Don't let Chen or Clouse catch you. I don't want you to get hurt again." He had stayed quiet for most of the conversation, a shadow in the background. If it weren't for his hand on Lloyd's shoulder I wouldn't have known he was there.

"I will," Lloyd promised. Then after a moment he sighed. "I guess I should probably go back now."

I didn't want Lloyd to be alone, not again, but I knew he was right. I nodded, not trusting my voice. Lloyd pushed himself off the cot and took a deep breath before finally heading toward the door.

"Good luck!" Jay called. "Don't get stuck in detention with Clouse. Oh! And watch out for his giant snake!"

Lloyd froze. "What?"

I glared at Jay, and then looked back at Lloyd. "You'll be fine," I told him. "If you need us, send an owl. Outlaws or not, we'll still come for you."

"We got your back," Cole added.

"Absolutely," Nya said. Zane and Jay nodded.

"I will," Lloyd replied, and then he kept walking.

"Goodbye," I called as he pushed the door open. Lloyd flashed me a smile, and then he was gone. I swallowed.

"Be safe," I whispered.

—

Turns out I was worried for nothing. The week went by without incident. Lloyd sent us an owl, but it was only to let us know that he had managed to recruit a couple people, including some of the teachers, and whether we had anyone we knew who might want to join.

Meanwhile, Zane and Garmadon cast layers of spell protection on the hut to hide it from unfriendly eyes. The rest of us began to plan what we would do at the meeting. Cole wanted to make snacks, but we quickly learned that he could _not_ cook. I was stuck on the toilet for almost an hour after eating one of his 'delicacies'. Mine weren't much better and I almost set the entire hut on fire. Most of the stuff I made at home was cooked in a microwave, and Nya's repertoire consisted of ramen noodles and rice. Once again, Zane had us all beat. Not only was he an amazing wizard, he was also a brilliant chef.

With that out of the way, I wanted to teach everyone some basic skills so we were all on the same page, but Nya pointed out that so far a lot of members were teachers. So instead, I decided to make a poll of magical talents/abilities so we could come up with a solid plan. Lastly, we would have a giant brainstorming session so we could get rid of Chen and Clouse with the least amount of causalities.

"But we'll have Zane make more of those cakes, right?" Cole asked licking his fingers, having just finished one.

Jay sighed, and Nya giggled. "Yes, Cole," I reassured him. "We'll make more cakes."

"Good. Cause I'm starving."

"You just ate," Jay pointed out.

Cole just shrugged. "I'm a growing teenager. I need as much food as I can get."

"I don't think that's how that works," Nya said.

"Shh," I whispered in her ear. "Don't crush his dreams." Zane came back inside, having cast every last defensive spell he could think of.

"Perfect timing!" Cole cried. "Can you make more chocolate cakes, and some of that noodle dish you made last night? And some more dip? The chips don't taste nearly as good without it."

"Of course," Zane replied, being the good, innocent friend he was. But every time he finished one thing, we would eat it all down to the last crumb, so we had to keep baking all the way till midnight in order to have enough food for the meeting.

"Teenagers," Garmadon muttered, shaking his head at our antics.

I was wiping flour off my hands when Lloyd burst through the door. "I almost couldn't find you guys," he said. "You did a great job with those spells."

"Thank you," Zane replied.

Lloyd glanced out the door. "You can come in." Nuero, Hutchins, and Mistaké walked into the hut.

"None of you were followed?" Garmadon asked.

They all shook their heads.

"You sure?"

"I am a master of Legilimency, I would know if someone followed us," Nuero said. I quickly jotted that down on my magical abilities paper. That would definitely be useful. Lloyd darted off to help more people find our secret meeting place, leaving me alone with the teachers.

"Well," I said. "Welcome to the Resistance. Tea and food is over there. If you have any special skills that can help us out, write them here." I held up the parchment in my hand.

Nuero took the parchment and added Transfiguration under his list of skills. And it turned out Professor Hutchins was an accomplished swordsman. Mistaké was a registered animagus and a potions master. I grinned. Already off to a good start.

More and more people began to trickle into Garmadon's hut. Some of them I recognized, like Pixal, Zane's girlfriend, Cyrus Borg, and some others from my classes. Others looked to the same age as Lloyd, and some, like Karlof and Bolobo were in their seventh year. Finally, Lloyd slipped in and closed the door behind him.

"Is that everyone?" I asked.

"Yep," Lloyd replied.

Perfect. I didn't think Garmadon's hut could hold anymore. I glanced around the room. Almost everyone was gathered around the kitchen standing in little cliques. The adults were all drinking tea, while most of the boys hung around the buffet. I took a deep breath. Time to rally everyone together with a dramatic, inspiring speech. I glanced down at the abilities sheet. It was almost full; it was just a matter of putting it all together.

A hand squeezed my shoulder, shocking me out of my thoughts. I glanced over and Nya gave me a reassuring smile.

"You've got this, bro," she said.

I tried to smile back, to find that confidence I had just a few hours ago, but so much depended on this meeting. The fate of the entire school and all of its students rested on my shoulders.

"We are right behind you," Zane reassured, having finally escaped the kitchen. My other friends noticed I was struggling and formed a huddle around me.

"Thanks, Zane, but I don't know if I can say the right words. What if they don't listen? What'll happen to the school?"

"You'll convince them, you care about this more than anyone," Jay pointed out.

I took another deep breath and shook out my hands. Adrenaline was rushing a hundred miles an hour, making it hard to think straight.

"This is your idea," Cole said, "Now you just got to sell it."

I looked at all the strangers in the room. "Yeah…that's the hard part."

"It's now or never, Kai. Just get up there," Nya said and she gave me a little shove.

"We'll bail you out if things go wrong," Cole called.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"Ignore him," Nya said. "Focus on putting your feelings into words and you'll do fine."

Jay gave me a thumbs up. "Good luck," he whispered loudly. I smiled and turned around.

"Hello." I waited a moment, but nobody turned around. I cleared my throat. Nothing. "Attention!"

Some heads glanced up. I guess that was as good as it was going to get.

"LISTEN UP!" Garmadon bellowed. Now everyone was paying attention, but they all were glaring at the former warlord. "Go ahead," he said to me, and then all of their angry faces turned to me.

Great. Just great. "Hello," I began again. "Thank you for coming to the Resistance meeting. Really appreciate it."

I swallowed and glanced across the sea of faces. Someone coughed. I continued. "So, now we're going to start brainstorming how to get rid of Chen and Clouse. If you could gather around over here, that'd be great."

Some people muttered, but they began to mosey over to where I was standing. I waited for everyone to quiet down before continuing. Right now I sounded really awkward, I needed to step it up a notch. "We've got a really wide variety of talent and skill level. I believe with the right plan we can do this."

"But what about the trapdoors?" Someone asked.

"Can we really defeat two full grown wizards?"

"What if we fail?"

A question I had asked myself many times, but I had to be strong. I had to inspire them or we really wouldn't succeed. I lifted my chin. "We will _not_ fail." Everyone noticed the change in my voice and fell silent.

"I've done some research," and I lifted my parchment to prove it, "and all of you have incredible talents. We have an animagus, two androids, a herbologist, and masters of several different types of magic, including Legilimency, transfiguration, potions, and electronics. Not to mention a bunch of people who have magical artifacts, like an invisibility cloak. Together we can defeat Chen and Clouse."

The group cheered, and I grinned. There we go. "We know that Chen's office is at the top of the Takai Tower and our goal is to make sure he leaves our school for good. Anyone got any ideas?"

One of the kids, I think his name's Brad, spoke up. "We throw his own tricks back at him, and prank him until he goes away."

Well… not quite sure about that, but I flashed him a smile anyways. "Okay, a good start, but we kind of need Chen to go away permanently. What else?"

"We shove him down the mountain!" Someone in back yelled.

I winced. "Isn't that a bit violent?"

The person paused. "We make him surrender the school, then we shove him down the mountain."

"How about surrender _or_ we'll send him down the mountain," I corrected.

"Okay."

Phew. "Okay, so far, we prank Chen. Send him down trapdoors; pull some other pranks, plus intimidation tactics. Then we start making demands, and if he doesn't—"

"We shove him down the mountain!"

"Sure," I said. "Anything else?"

"Why don't we just capture Chen and Clouse and send them away for good?" Griffin asked.

"We could, but Chen's office is full of traps. The whole floor drops out square by square, and then there are the spikes and giant blades all over the place. That doesn't even cover Clouse and Chen's magical ability."

The student frowned. "What about the kid with the invisibility cloak? Couldn't he do it?"

"Uh, I don't know, maybe?" The kid in question, who called himself Paleman, looked really uncomfortable. He probably didn't like to draw attention to himself, which would explain why he wore large sunglasses and a fedora that hid most of his face. "I-I mean, I'll do it, I just, um—"

"You don't have to go," I told him. "We'll start with intimidation, and if that doesn't work, we'll make a plan to break into Chen's office." Paleman nodded gratefully.

"Sound good?" I asked. Everyone murmured their general assent.

"Cool. Don't tell anyone about this unless you're absolutely sure you can trust them. And be careful when sabotaging Chen and Clouse, we don't want to get caught. But even if things seem to get worse, don't give up," I looked each person in the eye. "Remember, the Resistance never quits!"

Lloyd picked up the chant, and then Nya, and Jay and Cole, and before I knew it the whole room was shouting, "THE RESISTANCE NEVER QUITS!"

I smiled and looked at the wide variety of students coming together to stop Chen and Clouse. They wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

**AN: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and the follows and favorites! Specials thanks for JBomb127 and NaninaDaPanda!**


	11. The Resistance Never Quits!

**The Resistance Never Quits**

* * *

I snuck into the kitchen with Cole. We needed more food after our baking spree, but I mostly wanted an excuse to get back into the action again. Garmadon's hut was much nicer now, but it was still a cage, and I couldn't sit back and let the other Resistance members do all the work.

"Okay, we go in, grab as much food as we can, and we get out," Cole told me as we slid in the back door.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, not really paying attention. I peeked inside. The kitchen was running itself overtime to prepare for breakfast, but like usual, there was no one there. "All clear."

Cole immediately started filling his bag with anything to do with cakes. I put a few things in mine, until it was clear that Cole was more focused on food than on me. I set my bag down and slipped out into the hall. Chen and Clouse would most likely be in the Dining Hall, eating and showing off his power at the same time. With any luck, the Resistance would already be planning their first move.

The paper doors were closed, but fortunately they opened without a sound.

"Yow!" Someone screamed. I darted into the shadows, hoping I hadn't been spotted, but I needn't have bothered. All eyes were on Chen, and he was clutching his face.

"Who did this?" He yelled, pointing at his staff. Someone had transfigured the top of it into a sort of jack-in-the-box, which had presumably punched him. I could see the beginnings of a black eye forming, and I smirked. So far so good.

The room was dead silent. "No one?" Chen seethed. "Well, if anyone would be so gracious as to tell me, they will be handsomely rewarded."

People whispered, but no one came forward. I breathed a sigh of relief. Now to cause a little mayhem of my own. Sticking to the shadows, I edged as close as I dared, till finally I was almost on the teacher's platform. Fire danced on my fingertips and I directed them right to the edge of Master Chen's fancy robes.

I backed away and watched my work from the back of the Hall. The students were beginning to panic. "FIRE!" Someone screamed. "You're on fire!"

"What?" Chen said, and then he looked down at his long cape. "Gah! Don't just stand there, you fools! Put it out! Put it out!"

I snickered as Chen stomped around the platform like a lunatic, while Clouse tried to put out his robe. But when he finally got close, Mistaké tried to 'help' but only got in Clouse's way.

"Whoops," the professor laughed. "My mistake."

Clouse glared. "Out of my way, old woman!" But the damage was done. Chen's robe was completely charred and at last he just tore it off and put it out himself.

"Who did this?!" He shouted. "Who dares make me look like a fool?"

The hall fell dead silent. I had to stifle a laugh. Chen's face was priceless. This is what I had been missing all these weeks: the adrenaline pumping through my blood, the energy, the uncertainty of it all, and feeling so _alive. _Plus I was actually being useful for once and making an evil villain pay. Yep. It didn't get better than this.

"Kai!" A loud whisper broke my thoughts. I turned around and saw Cole hiding behind screen door. "I've been looking all over for you!" he hissed.

"Sorry," I whispered, "but check this out!" I pointed to Chen, who still carrying on looking for who set his robe on fire.

Cole crept next to me. "What? Chen's acting the same as always," he said.

"No! The resistance is on the move! Listen!"

"Since no one is coming forward, I have no choice but to punish the entire Fire House!" Chen yelled. The hall erupted into chaos. All the fire students jumped up and it looked like we were going to have a rebellion right there and then.

"But I'm not an unreasonable man," Chen continued. "If someone comes forward and admits to setting my robe on fire, I'll change my mind about punishing you."

"Whose bright idea was it to set Chen on fire?" Cole muttered.

I winced. "It was me."

"What?" Cole snapped. "Kai, how could you? No one's going to step up and then the entire Fire House will be in trouble."

"I realize that now," I said. I couldn't believe this was happening. I was just going to help the Resistance out a little, not make things worse. I took a deep breath. I had to take responsibility for my actions.

"Kai, what are you doing?"

"Stepping up," I replied.

"Kai, no!"

I kept walking.

"Kai, come back!"

"Well, well, well," Chen chuckled. "Look what we have here."

"I set your robe on fire." I said. "So leave the Fire House alone."

"You surrender?" Chen asked.

I clenched my fists, but one look at the Fire table and my mind was made up. "Yes."

"Hand over your wand."

I pulled it out of my robes and held it out, forcing Chen to grab the wand from my hand. He glared at me, but the look was gone as quick as it came and Chen was a picture of smugness.

"Clouse?"

Clouse took the wand from him and snapped it clean in half. I gasped. This was bad. Really, really bad. How was I going to magic now?

"This is what happens to those who oppose me. Their magic will be stolen, and not even their elemental power will be left." Chen laughed and whipped out his wand.

I stumbled back. No. This couldn't be happening. I was just going to help out the Resistance a little, not lose all my magic. I've messed up before, but this… I don't know how I'm going to fix this.

Chen flicked his wand at me and suddenly I was in agony. My whole body felt like it was on fire. The air was ripped out of my body and I crumpled to the ground. My body was glowing and all of the energy was being drawn into Chen's wand. Then as soon as it started it was over. I couldn't feel anything. I was numb, and… empty. Like a part of me had just been ripped out and now there was a gaping hole in my chest.

"Does anyone else want to challenge me?" Chen asked.

No one answered. It seemed like the entire hall didn't dare breathe for fear of loosing their magic like I did. Not that I blamed them. Magic had been a part of my life for so long, and I had worked so hard for it, but now it was gone. And there was nothing I could do about it. This is how Lloyd must have felt.

"I thought so," Master Chen said. "Take this trash away, Clouse."

The slime ball grabbed me by the arms and shoved me to my feet. But as the shock wore off, I couldn't let Chen get away with this. What had I said in my speech? Even when things get worse, don't give up? Well, things couldn't get much worse. I gritted my teeth and threw all my weight forward and twisted my arms away.

Pain shot through me, but I pushed through, and Clouse was so surprised, I actually broke through. "You won't get away with this," I croaked. Then, I cleared my throat, and yelled with all my might. "THE RESISTANCE NEVER QUITS!" And I punched Chen in the face.

It felt really good. But the feeling didn't last long. "_Stupify!_" Clouse said. And my body froze and crashed to the ground again.

Chen kicked my hard in the ribs, and my already broken body cried in protest. "Insolent boy!" he screamed. "I'm Master Chen and _nothing_ will stop me! Feed him to your pet, Clouse." And with that, Chen stomped out of the hall.

Clouse cast a spell and soon I was floating in the air, my brokenness displayed for the entire school. I saw Cole frozen at the back of the hall. I tried to signal with my eyes that he needed to get out of here. It was bad enough that I got captured; I didn't want to see any of my friends get hurt.

Cole frowned, but he finally bolted out of the room. Fortunately, Clouse either didn't notice or didn't care. He kept walking past all the familiar hallways. I had no idea where he kept his pet snake, but hopefully it was somewhere far enough away that my friends would have time to rescue me.

I almost laughed. Who was I kidding? I was trapped with a dark wizard wandering through the darkness. There was no getting out of this one. I had to accept the fact that this was the end. The real end. I hoped everyone would continue the Resistance and got rid of Chen before anyone else got hurt.

Clouse turned and we walked down a poorly lit corridor I had never bothered to use. The darkness cast a shadow over my heart. I tried to swallow back my rising emotions, but my frozen body didn't respond. The more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to die. There had to be a way out of this. I tried to struggle, but Clouse's spell held me fast and I had no magic of my own to fight back. I closed my eyes, and tears slipped down my face.

I wasn't ready to die. I wanted see Skylor again. I wanted to have a normal year of school for once, where my biggest worry was my little sister trying to date one of my friends. Nya. More tears welled up in eyes. I didn't want to leave her behind. I promised I wouldn't leave her alone, and now I was going to die and it was all my fault.

Clouse stopped in front the rusty boy's bathroom by the Fire Dorm and pushed it open. I groaned. Ouroboros? Really? I guess it made sense. Where better to hide a giant snake than in the Great Devourer's old nest? I sighed. I was going to die where I had rescued my sister. Great. Clouse just had to rub it in my face.

Clouse pulled the snake handle and tapped his foot impatiently, as the old mechanics creaked and groaned, revealing the secret passage to the underground chamber. It looked a lot cleaner then the last time I was here though. Clouse probably didn't like all the slime and dust that lined the sides. Cole's stairs were still there, and the dark wizard marched into the darkness.

Before long, we were at the bottom. Some of the feeling was beginning to return to my limbs, but there was nothing I could do to escape floating up in the air a few feet behind Clouse. I thought about trying to shout and force the ceiling to collapse, but the dark wizard must had fixed all the damage when he took over the place. The roof was perfectly smooth and the rubble in the exit chamber was all gone.

Clouse turned down the eerie green hallway and his steps echoed throughout the chamber. Then we were out in the large circular room where I found Nya two years ago. The snake fountain had dried up and the floor had repaired since the battle with the Great Devourer, but now it was littered with bones and a single a pole sitting in front of them. Clouse dropped me on the floor and tied me up.

"You're lucky," Clouse said. "My pet is hungry. You're death will be quick."

"Right. I'm _sooooo_ lucky," I muttered under my breath. I lost my magic. I was going to die. My sister was going to be alone. It felt like I had just made mistake after mistake and now I was going to pay the price.

Clouse frowned. "You brought this upon yourself, you know. You should have done what you were told."

I laughed bitterly. Boy, did I know it. And bringing back the words he engraved into my hand? Real smooth. "So you're really going to kill me? A fifteen-year-old?" I asked in a last ditch effort to save my miserable life.

Clouse stared at me for a moment, his gaze as cold as ice. "Yes."

I sighed. Not that I thought it would work. "You're a sick person, you know that?" The dark wizard didn't respond, and instead began hissing something in a strange language.

"I can't wait for the Resistance to kick you out of the school," I continued. "I only wish I could be there to see it.

Clouse stopped and glared at me. "Your petty _Resistance_ will fail. Master Chen will see to it."

"The Resistance never quits," I replied.

He growled, but turned back to his strange chanting. Suddenly, a loud hiss filled the room and a gigantic purple snake slithered into the light, not stopping until it reached Clouse. It reared back and opened its large mouth revealing fangs bigger than my head. Clouse rasped something to it, and then it was staring at me.

I swallowed. The snake slithered closer and closer until it was right on top of me. It reared back and flashed forward. I closed my eyes and a breeze whipped passed my face. I cried out.

Then, I realized something. I wasn't dead. I began to open my eyes, but my left eye stung. I squeezed it shut and warm liquid oozed down my face. I opened my good eye. The snake had somehow missed and was lying on the ground next to me.

A blur rushed toward me, sparking as it went. I braced myself for another attack, but instead my bonds were cut. "Let's get you out of here."

I turned and saw Griffin, one of the older students from the resistance meeting. "How did you…?"

He grinned. "The Resistance never quits right?"

I blinked, and he continued, "You ever heard the phrase 'fast as lightning'? That's me. After Chen left, I zipped all around the school looking for you. It wasn't easy, but I finally found this place. I sent a message to the others. They'll be coming soon."

"Others?"

Griffin's grin grew even wider. "Come on, before Clouse wakes up."

"Wait," I said. "If Clouse's is out, let's get rid of him once and for all. Toss him off the mountain."

"I like the way you think. Be right back." He grabbed Clouse's arm and zipped away, leaving me alone. My eye was still stinging like crazy; I put my hand over it trying to ease the pain. It grew warm and sticky. I pulled my hand back and it was covered in blood. I gasped. That couldn't be good.

I couldn't make out a whole lot with my good eye. What if I was stuck like this forever and my eye never healed? My heart thudded and I turned my body around, peering into the darkness. Griffin took care of Clouse's snake right? It wasn't coming back?

I bumped into a hard, sickly smooth surface. I jumped back, but it was just the unmoving body of the snake. I breathed a sigh of relief. When were those others getting here?

"Kai!" A black shapes ran toward me.

I squinted "Cole?" I asked.

"And Karlof!" The other shape protested.

"I thought you were a goner!" Cole said. "Don't ever do that again! And what happened to your eye?"

"I think it's just a scratch. Let's just get out of here. Does Nya know yet?" I hoped she didn't, otherwise I was never going to hear the end of this. Cole shook his head.

"Others went to stop Chen," Karlof said.

I blinked. "After he totally stole all my magic?"

"You inspire us. Resistance never quits," Karlof smiled and clapped back. I mustered a weak grin back.

"Yeah." I can't believe I was that inspiring.

"Well, let's get out of here," Cole said. They turned to go and I started to follow when my leg shuddered under me. I wobbled and toppled to the ground. I cringed. It was like all the energy had been sucked out of me.

Strong arms grabbed me and lifted me onto my feet. Karlof and Cole helped walk the rest of the way. I sighed. I hated feeling so helpless. Maybe when we got rid of Chen we could force him to give me my magic back.

"Hang on, we're going to walk up a bunch of stairs now," Cole warned.

"Guys, I'm fine. Really." Of course, as soon as I finish saying that I trip and nearly fall on my face.

Karlof shook his head and slung me across his back. I groaned. It felt like hours before we finally reached the top.

"Let's get you to the infirmary," Cole said.

"But what about Chen?"

"Others will take care of him," Karlof said.

Cole frowned. "You're not much use to us right now, Kai. Stay with Mistaké and get better."

I glowered, but I knew he was right. Without my magic and my powers, I was no good to anyone. I'd probably just get in the way. A few corridors later and I was lying on white cot staring at the ceiling with my one good eye.

"We'll be back soon," Cole called.

"You better," I muttered.

"Now," Mistaké croaked. "Let's take a look at that eye."

I sighed. I hoped the others come back soon.

* * *

**AN:** We're almost done! Just another chapter to go. Once again, thanks to my faithful reviewers JBomb217 and NaninaDaPanda. You guys make my day! Thank you for all who continue to read my story. It means a lot that you enjoy what I write and inspire me to keep going. See you next Friday!


	12. Return

** Return**

* * *

"There," Mistaké said. I blinked and slowly opened my left eye. I could see again, sort of. Things looked a little fuzzier than I remembered, but after getting slashed by a giant snake, I was lucky to see out of that eye at all.

"So, I'm good as new?" I asked the old professor.

"More or less. You're going to be partially blind in your eye for life, and you'll have a permanent scar," Mistaké said.

I gasped. "What?" She handed me a mirror, and I took it, anxious to see what I would find.

A scar stretched from my forehead straight through my eyebrow continuing down my cheekbone. I stared the mirror. It wouldn't be so bad if the scar wasn't so… so… ugly. It was red and stuck out from the rest of my face. I couldn't take my eyes off it, and anyone else probably wouldn't be able to either.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" I asked.

Mistaké sighed. "Magic isn't all powerful. The snake venom infected your skin, and I couldn't reverse all its effects. But, if you really want, I can cast a concealing charm to hide it from view."

"Of course!" Who would want a hideous scar on their face?

"Be warned, this spell will have to be reapplied within a month or so."

I nodded, not really listening. Mistaké sighed again and cast the charm. I looked back in the mirror, and my scar was gone. I grinned. Perfect. Mistaké shook her head and left to attend some other patients.

The door flew open and Nya burst into the infirmary. "Kai!" she cried and she threw her arms around me and I gasped. She was so warm, or maybe I was just really cold.

"Are you okay? I heard what happened."

Thank goodness Nya wasn't mad. I pulled her against my chest. She was shaking. "Hey," I said. "I'm alright, see?"

"Good." Then she jerked away from my grasp and punched me in the arm.

"Ow! Nya!"

"Don't ever do that again! What were you thinking? You could have died!"

I sighed. "I'm sorry," I said.

She froze. "What?"

"You're right," I repeated. "I made a mistake and I almost died and I lost all of my magic. I really messed up this time."

Nya's face melted. "Kai…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "We can fix this. Chen's gone now, I'm sure we can find a way—"

"No we can't!" I snapped. "Chen broke my wand in half! There's no coming back from that."

"We'll get you a new one," Nya insisted.

I shook my head. "Don't you remember when we first bought our wands? The man told us it was made for one wizard and one wizard only. Face it, Nya, I'll never do magic again."

A tear rolled down her cheek, and my chest tightened so much I couldn't breathe. Making my sister cry was so much worse than everything I'd gone through.

"Don't say that," she said. "We'll fix this…we've got to."

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to make her feel any worse. Instead, I tried to muster a smile, but I could tell Nya saw right through me. She sat down on the bed and put her arm on my shoulder. I leaned into her and we sat in silence.

* * *

I didn't go to classes the next day. Or lunch. I didn't want the others' sympathy. I just wanted to be alone for a while. I stayed in the Infirmary under the guise of being too weak to return to school. After Zane's repair spell failed to fix my wand, I gave up all hope of doing magic again, and with the school year being almost over; I realized this was going to be my last year here. The door creaked open, and I buried myself under the covers and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Kai, you can't mope forever," Nya said.

I didn't move and she sighed. "Well, when you're ready, you know where to find us."

Her footsteps faded away and I sat up. "She's right, you know," Mistaké said from the back room.

* * *

Finally, I got up and left. Depressed or not, I still couldn't stand sitting still. I opened the entrance door and took a deep breath of crisp, mountain air. I stared out at the clear blew sky, and down at the rice patties and the winding path that lead back to Ninjago City. The view was absolutely stunning. If it wasn't for the dark cloud hanging over the city, I could forget all about the Overlord.

I sighed. I was going to miss this place. A shrill cry pierced the air, and I looked up to see a falcon circle above the school, turn and fly out over Ninjago. Suddenly, a golden flashed blocked it from view and Master Wu tumbled out of the sky.

I bounded down the steps two at a time and tried to break the professor's fall. I managed to catch him, but before I knew it, I slammed on ground and the old man was crushing me. I groaned. He shouldn't be that heavy should he? Was my body really that weak?

Wu pushed himself up and pulled me up too. The lines in his face had deepened he looked more tired. It was if he had aged ten years since I had last seen him.

"Thank you, Kai," he said. "But what are you doing out here?"

"What are you doing back?" I countered.

He raised an eyebrow, but answered the question. "I have stopped the Time Wizards for now, and so I have returned to my students."

I smiled. "Good to have you back. I just wish you had gotten here sooner." I stared at the ground and clenched my fists. I knew it wasn't his fault, but if Master Wu had never left, none of this would have happened in the first place.

The professor jarred me out of my thoughts. "What is troubling you, Kai?"

I sighed. "I lost my magic, and I realized that this was the last time I'd see this view again."

Wu frowned. "Lost your magic?"

"Chen stole it from me."

Now he just looked confused. "The young fire wizard in your year?"

I shook my head. "No. Master Chen."

"From the Ministry? What is he doing at my school?" Wu tightened his grip on his staff, and his eyes glinted. I guess he had heard of Chen.

"He's not here anymore. You've missed a lot."

"I see. Please enlighten me."

I shrugged. "It's a long story."

Wu sat down on the steps. "We have time."

* * *

"—and then everyone else drove Chen and Clouse out of the school while I stayed in the Infirmary. We got rid of them, but now my wand's broken and my elemental powers are gone." I took a shaky breath. Master Wu waited patiently. "So I'm not a wizard anymore."

"A wizard is not defined by his magic, but rather, his heart." Wu answered. "And your heart is one of the strongest I have ever known."

I laughed bitterly. "Thanks, but I'm still powerless."

The old man frowned. "On the contrary, love is the most powerful magic of all."

"Maybe, but love can't cast spells," I replied.

Wu sighed. "Let me see your wand."

"But it's broken."

"I know."

The professor looked dead serious, so I reached into my kimono and handed him the two broken halves. Wu pulled out his own wand and tapped the two pieces. Gold light flowed from the tip and coated the pieces until the whole thing was incased in what looked like golden glass.

"_Reparo!"_ Wu commanded, and the light faded, leaving one whole wand in its place. My heart stopped.

"You…you fixed it? But how? Zane said it was impossible to mend a broken wand."

Wu smiled. "He is correct, normally it is impossible to mend a wand, but with this," He lifted his wand, and unlike mine, it was decorated with raised ridges and a fancy handle. "I have the ability to cast many spells beyond the normal realm of possibility."

I gaped. "What is it?"

"The Elder wand, made by my father, the Golden Wizard. It is very powerful, infused with the power of creation, but unfortunately, it is also the cause of much bloodshed."

He sighed, and I realized how just old the professor really was. Suddenly, Wu straightened and raised his wand. "Now, for your elemental magic."

He tapped my chest and golden light poured into me, setting my bones on fire. Then, just as soon as it started, it stopped. I looked down at my hands, and they were on fire. I laughed and willed them to grow and shrink. They obeyed. I had my powers back. "Thank you so much! I—" I looked up. Wu groaned, and his eyes rolled back into his head. I killed the flames and caught him before he hit his head on the steps.

"Master?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

He moaned and his eyes fluttered open. "Y-yes, Kai. Forgive me, I am more drained from my battle than I realized."

"What happened?"

"The Time Wizards are two twins who can manipulate the fabric of time itself. One of them struck me with a time spell, but I managed to detain them for now." Wu wheezed and closed his eyes, seeming to age right before my eyes. His beard seemed whiter, his wrinkles deeper, and when turned to look at me, he looked like a pale shell of himself.

"Are you going to be alright? Should I get Mistaké?" I asked. He looked so frail; it didn't seem right. Wu was supposed to be all-powerful, the person to look to when everything went wrong.

"No. There's nothing she can do. Only the Reversal Blade can heal me now, but listen, Kai. There is something you must know." Wu stopped to catch his breath, and he rested his head back against the steps.

"Yes, Master?" I asked, leaning forward eagerly. But up close, I could hear him snoring softly. I sighed. I knew he was tired from his battle and all, but he couldn't just leave me hanging like that. I shook his shoulder gently.

"What? Is it lunch time?" Wu asked.

I struggled to keep my voice steady. "No, Master. You were going to tell me something important."

"Something important? Oh yes, Kai, it's worse than I realized. The Overlord is coming."

I tried not to roll my eyes. "I already knew that, Master."

"No, Kai. He has begun gathering the Golden Weapons. If the Overlord collects all four, he will become the Golden Master, and then, there will be no stopping him."

"We'll stop him, don't worry."

Wu jerked up and grabbed on me. "Listen! The Golden Master is prophesied to enslave all of Ninjago, and cover the land in darkness. You must not let this happen. You must collect the weapons before the Overlord."

"We will, Master," I promised.

Wu relaxed and fell back against the steps, fast asleep. I sighed.

Things just go from bad to worse around here.

* * *

**AN: that's the end of Ghost of the Past! Thanks for all of you reviewers-you know who you are! Next week I'll be starting the Golden Master!**


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